22 Traiitsactiuiit'. 



its weai'er's digits. In this first type, in fact, thu insects arc 

 intended to enter the tlower bodily, and the shape of the ilower 

 depends upon the size and the usual motions of the insects which 

 enter. Generally speaking, however, this adaptation is not so 

 striking at first sight, because tiie insects may enter the tiower in 

 any direction, and hence its shape will not be that of a bee, but 

 tliat of a hee's body of revoluiion so to speak. This can be easily 

 seen if one takes a Bluebell and cuts it into two equal halves, 

 when tlie space in each half between the corolla and the upiight 

 median style will be seen to be very nearly that of a bee's head 

 and tongue. A very striking instance, which at first sight seems 

 contradictory, is that of the Pigwort. This is visited by wasjjs 

 which in entering bend their bodies into a circle, resting the 

 tliorax on the lower lip of the corolla (just as an athlete rests on 

 his waist when about to turn a circle on the horizontal bar), and 

 the shape of the globular corolla is just such as will enable the 

 head of the wasp to accomplish this movement. 



The second or Primrose shape is one not often found in British 

 plants, though it occurs e.g. in Forget-me-not. It is typical of 

 fiowers which depend mainly on moths and butterflies for carrying 

 their pollen — these insects have an extremely long, thin proboscis, 

 and are unable, from the size of their wings, to enter flowers like 

 u bee, hence they stand on the spreading limbs of a Primrose and 

 plunge their delicate elastic trunks down the narrow tube, In 

 oui Flora the Honeysuckle is perhaps the best example of a moth 

 flower, and it has the characteristic long and narrow tube, but it 

 is only in tropical countries, where butterflies are numerous and 

 important enough to be consulted, that flowers of this type reach 

 tlieir full development. In such places there are Rubiacete and 

 plants of the Periwinkle order which have tubes four or five 

 inches long, and not nearly a quarter of an inch in diameter. 



In the third or Labiate and Eyebriyht type, the insect, usually 

 a bee, is supposed to stand on the lower lip and thrust his mouth 

 and lips down a tube ; the length of this tube varies greatly, and 

 often shows the most exact agreement with the measured length 

 of the particular bee's trunk. Tiie size and character of the 

 corolla lips varies also enormously. Sometimes, as in Lainixim, 

 the bee stands comfortably on a broad platform and puslies his 

 head and lips down a long corridor, which ends in a cup of honey, 

 and is often guarded from intruders by a curtain of stifl' liairs at 



