34 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 



bristles across the inner sides of the three lower petals, 

 and has also tried to throw them off the trail by three 

 false lionet-guides one on each petal that lead nowhere. 

 The nasturtium evidenth- desires the visits ol insects large 

 enough and strong enough to disregard these bristling 

 petals and who will enter the flower directly from the front. 

 That it is successful in this, a few minutes oljservation in 

 the flower garden will show. 



In this part of the world the principal visitors are the 

 bumble-bee and the humming-bird, both of which ap- 

 proach the flower in the proper waj' and doubtless are the 

 chief agents in the transfer of the pollen. Butterflies, al- 

 though equipped for getting the nectar, apparenth' seldom 

 attempt to do so. Various small insects, however, have a 

 liking for the pollen, but the\' seem never to find out the 

 direct way to it. The\' alwa3"S alight on one of the lower 

 petals and wander about trj'ing to get through the fence. 

 Many give it up to try elsewdiere, but others, crossing over 

 to one of the two upper petals find themselves close to the 

 feast. These clamber over the stamens and may be seen to 

 literally scoop the pollen out of the anthers and stuff it in- 

 to the pockets with which some of their legs are fitted. In 

 this way the^' probably' often help to dust the pistil with 

 pollen and while wasting soine and carrying awa\' more 

 may be of some benefit to the flower, though in less degree 

 than the nectar loving bee who does not stop to eat 

 pollen. 



DEHISCENCE OF THE ANTHERS IN THE WITCH 



HAZEL 



BY ROSCOE J. WEBB. 



EARLY in October, during one of my rambles, I noticed 

 ' that the witch hazel {Haniamelis Virginiana) had 

 begun to blossom and picked some flowering l)ranches to 

 carry home. Most of the flowers had just opened and 

 many of the anthers had not 3'et dehisced. It is well 

 known that the anthers of this plant open by means of 

 lids, which, differing from those of many plants whose 



