230 The Romance of Wild Flowers 
their long tongues, whilst the smaller bees and wasps 
with short tongues can get well down near the honey, 
which is secreted by the base of the ovary; and all 
can do this with such ease and rapidity that a large 
number of flowers can be treated without loss of time. 
The plant is therefore a great favourite with many 
kinds of insects: H. Miller has recorded eighty 
species from his own observations. The special 
y mechanism adopted 
* totake proper advan- 
- tage of this popularity 
consists in hanging the 
flower horizontally, 
and bringing the four 
long stamens all to 
the lower side of the 
corolla, so that as they 
project beyond the mouth 
they form a convenient plat- 
form upon which the insects 
alight, and the larger ones, 
such as humble-bees, must 
ak. get dusted with pollen on 
Viper's Bugloss their under-sides. The 
flower has five stamens 
altogether, but one of these is short, and does not 
extend outside the mouth of the corolla. This short 
stamen is a special provision for the smaller bees 
that fly in without alighting on the external platform. 
All the anthers as they are about to discharge their 
pollen turn their faces upwards, to insure contact 
with the visitors. At this stage the style is short and 
the stigmas immature, but when the pollen is shed the 
