EXCLUSION OF ANTS FROM FLOWERS. 51 



tageous. Moreover, if larger flowers were visited by 

 ants, not only would they deprive the flowers of their 

 honey without fulfilling any useful function in return, 

 but they would probably prevent the really useful 

 visits of bees. If you touch an ant with a needle or a 

 bristle, she is almost sure to seize it in her jaws; and 

 if bees, when visiting any particular plant, w^ere liable 

 to have the delicate tip of their proboscis seized on by 

 the horny jaws of an ant, we may be sure that such a 

 species of plant would soon cease to be visited. On 

 ■the other hand, we know how fond ants are of honey, 

 and how zealously and unremittingly they search for 

 food. How is it then that they do not anticipate the 

 bees, and secure the honey for themselves ? This is 

 guarded against in several ways. 



Belt appears to have been the first naturalist to 

 call attention to this interesting subject. 



* Many flowers,' he says,^ ' have contrivances for pre- 

 venting useless insects from obtaining access to the 

 nectaries. 



' Great attention has of late years been paid by 

 naturalists to the wonderful contrivances amongst 

 flowers to secure cross fertilisation, but the struc- 

 ture of many cannot, I believe, be understood, unless 

 we take into consideration not only the beautiful adap- 

 tations for securing the services of the proper insect or 



' The Naturalist in Nicaragua. By Thos. Belt, F.G.S., pp. 131 

 and 133. 



