1894.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 171 



the anthers are iii such close position to the stigma that it can scarcely 

 do aught but receive its own-pollen. All the flowei-s examined 

 seemed to have the stigmas completely covered with pollen, and I 

 feel pretty sure, with own-pollen. My plants are, however, infertile, 

 rarely a few berries mature. I should refer this to propagation from 

 an infertile plant, as we frequently find to occur in all classes of lig- 

 neous plants, which truit neither with own-pollen nor foreign pollen, 

 rather than to any want of ability in own-pollen to produce fertili- 

 zation as an abstract principle, as would be assumed by some. 



There still remains to be discussed why all this large amount of 

 nectar should be secreted by the flower with no apparent benefit to 

 itself in any conceivable way. But it is not safe to say, that, because 

 we can not see that any benefit results in relation to the visits of 

 insects, it is of no value in some, as yet, undiscovered operation in 

 the economy of nature. For aught we know it may be an excretion 

 rather than a secretion, which it may be as much an advantage to 

 get rid of when of no further use to the plant, as it is an advantage 

 to get rid of the corolla itself. 



A very curious circumstance in connection with these observations 

 was the discovery that each of these two forms of the Lonicera 

 japonica, have different times of the day for the opening of its blos- 

 soms. The expansion, as in so many points of growth, is rhythmic 

 and not a continuous effort. In the form known as Lonicera fiexuosa, 

 the lobes of the corolla parted so as to admit of the protrusion of the 

 stamens at 2 P. M. Further efforts at expansion rested till 4 P. M., 

 when the act was resumed and completed. L. brachypoda com- 

 menced opening at 5 P. M., and completed the opening by 7 P. M. 



There is no reason why variation may not occur in the behaviour 

 of plants as well as in the parts of their structure, but it is difficult to 

 conceive of any physiological value in these variations from any point 

 of view in the economy of plant life. 



