MliS. EAKBER ON DUYEENOIA ADHATOIKDTDES. 471 



vides for all. It is solely to this bee that this plant is indebted 

 for its fertilization, and it is to this bee alone that she yields 

 her honeyed stores. The bee, again, is rewarded with an abundant 

 supply of nectar ; in fact, lie is paid for his work ; " and the labourer 

 is worthy of his hire." 



It is interesting to watch these insects busily employing them- 

 selves amongst the blossoms of this plant, whilst all other insects 

 pass it by as utterly unworthy of their attentions ; surely the 

 one was made for the other, the flowers for the bee, and the bee 

 for the flowers. 



I tied a piece of muslin over a flowering braucb of the JDuvernoia, 

 which prevented the bees from entering its blossoms, and this 

 branch produced no seed. I may likewise remark that the spikes 

 which blossom late in the season, after the large bees have re- 

 tired to winter quarters and have become dormant, also produce 

 no seed. However, I think it not improbable that occasionally 

 a flower or two may be fertilized by the wind blowing one branch 

 against another, 



Z). adhafodoides is not only remarkable for the manner in 

 which its fertilization takes place, but likewise for the method of 

 its dissemination ; for the way in which the seeds of this plant 

 are scattered abroad, is not more curious than clever — although 

 in this respect it is not singular ; for many of the species of the 

 order AcantJiacece possess, to a certain degree, the same pecu- 

 liarities. ' 



The erect wedge-shaped capsules of the plant in question 

 usually contain four seeds ; these, by abortion, are often reduced to 

 two ; they are placed near the apex, above the long elastic 

 portions of the capsule ; each seed is subtended by a rigid, 

 subuhite, grooved process, which proceeds from the placenta 

 (apparently a continuation of it), and is prolonged half-way 

 round the seed, which is held in its upright position by this 

 curved groove. When the seeds are matured and perfectly ripe, 

 and the capsule has become hard and dry, a contraction takes 

 place along the opposite sides of the long spring-shaped portions 

 of the valves, causing each to bend diametrically against the 

 other, until at length it explodes or bursts with great force, pro- 

 ducing a sound like that caused by the explosion of a small per- 

 cussion pistol-cap, and at the same time throwing the two valves 

 of the seed-vessel to some distance away from the plant, often, 

 if there are no intervening branches of trees to obstruct their 



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