210 The Romance of Wild Flowers 
tremities. From the back of each anther-cell stands 
out a horn. 
When the flower opens, the stamens are all dis- 
covered standing with the openings of their anther- 
tubes pressed against the style, so that the 
pollen cannot fall out. But should a bee scent 
the abundant honey and push his head in at 
the mouth of the flower, and his long tongue 
go exploring inside, something will happen. 
ee First, its face will touch the stigma, and should 
it already have visited a Bilberry flower some 
of the pollen it has brought away will be detached. 
In any case, the poking of the bee’s tongue among 
the stamens is bound to shift several from their 
position as buttresses to the style, and the moment 
they are pushed back from 
their original attitude, the 
pollen comes out of the 
anther-tubes and falls upon 
the bee’s face, to fit it for a 
visit to another flower. Then 
the ovary develops into a black 
juicy berry as big as a black 
currant, covered with a waxy Bilberry 
“bloom” which gives a glauc- 
ous tinge to it. In July and August, as soon as the 
children are free from school, they troop from the 
hamlets around, and work among the wires, filling 
their cans with the luscious fruit (“ Hurts”), which 
makes splendid pies and preserves. 
There is some little interest in the names of this 
plant. Vaccinium is the name by which classical 
writers refer to some plant the identity of which has 
