232 THE STRUCTURE OF FLOWERS 



Stigma, are a little upturned ; so that they may be brushed by the 

 lower hairy surfaces of the insects' bodies. The shortest stamens, 

 which lie enclosed within the calyx of the long and mid-styled 

 forms, can be touched only by the proboscis and narrow chin of 

 a bee ; hence they have their ends more upturned, and they are 

 graduated in length, so as to fall into a narrow file, sure to be 

 raked by the thin, intruding proboscis. The anthers of the longer 

 stamens stand laterally further apart, and are more nearly on the 

 same level, for they have to brush against the whole length of the 

 insect's body. 



" I have found no exception to the rule that when the 

 stamens and pistil are bent, they bend on that side of the flower 

 which secretes nectar. . . When nectar is secreted on all sides, 

 they bend to that side where the structure of the flower allows the 

 easiest access to it, as in Ly thrum. . . In each of the three 

 forms, two sets of stamens correspond in length with the pistil in 

 the other two forms. When bees suck the flowers, the anthers of 

 the longest stamens, bearing the green poUen, are rubbed against 

 the abdomen and inner sides of the hind legs, as is likewise the 

 stigma of the long-styled form. The anthers of the mid-length 

 stamens, and the stigma of the mid-styled form, are rubbed against 

 the under side of the thorax and between the front pair of legs. 

 And lastly, the anthers of the shortest stamens, and the stigma of 

 the short-styled form, are rubbed against the proboscis and 

 chin ; for the bees in sucking the flowers insert only the front 

 part of their heads into the flower. On catching bees, I observed 

 much green pollen on the inner si-de of the hind legs, and on the 

 abdomen, and much yeUow poUen on the under side of the 

 thorax. There was also pollen on the chin, and, it may be 

 presumed, on the proboscis ; but this was difficult to observe. I 

 had, however, independent proof that pollen is carried on the 

 proboscis ; for a small branch of a protected short-styled plant 

 (which produced spontaneously only two capsules) was accident- 

 ally left during several days pressing against the net; and bees 

 were seen inserting their proboscides through the meshes, and, in 

 consequence, numerous capsules were formed on this one small 

 branch. . . It must not, however, be supposed that the bees 

 do not get more or less dusted aU over with the several kinds of 



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