1892.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA, 451 



But what is the behavior of the pistil during all this time? It 

 is wholly enfolded by the involute lobe of the lip, though in a few 

 instances one of the style branches may slightly protrude at the 

 apex of the lip ; but the full growth and development is the work 

 of another day. After the style has grown sufficiently to carry the 

 branches beyond the apex of the lip, the branches expand, the 

 larger branch curving backward and forming a complete circle. 

 It takes about an hour to complete the circle. 



I have utterly failed to form any conception as to how the flower 

 effects fertilization. At the final drying up of the gelatinous pol- 

 len, when it is then distributed by the wind or insects, it Avould be 

 possible for some to be carried to flowers with the exposed styles. 

 But this would involve the later flowers in barrenness, which does 

 not seem to be the case. INIoreover the condition of the ova 

 indicates that fertilization is effected in some earlier stage of 

 anthesis ; and the, so far as my examination now goes, unerring 

 fertility of every flower, would lead one to suspect self pollination 

 in some obscure way. Every one of 150 flowers in a single head 

 was fertile. In grinding up these flowers with finger and thumb 

 to get at the nutlets 183 perfect seeds were found. This showed 

 that in some of the flowers the whole number of four seeds in 

 each had not been perfected. 



The results of my week of observation on this plant were so inter- 

 esting and so puzzling that I was anxious to have the whole subject 

 reviewed independently of any suggestions of my own. I gave some 

 material to Dr. Ida A. Keller, a close observer in similar lines of 

 study with myself, and the results of whose studies will appear 

 in the following paper. 



