264 The Romance of Wild Flowers 
by the curving outwards of the down - growing 
flower-stalks, the bright little bluish-purple flowers 
peep out to the Hehe: These flowers somewhat 
resemble the eandea snapdragon in structure, with 
the addition of a short curved hollow spur to 
which honey, produced by the base of the ovary, 
flows. ‘This is an economical dodge adopted by some 
plants to adapt them specially for fertilisation by 
long-tongued insects without going to the expense of 
increasing the length of the entire flower. The 
slender appendix ates httle extra material, and 
its narrowness is an advantage, for the insects can 
suck up the whole of the nectar, much of which 
might be wasted on a broader surface—in other 
words, it need not produce more of this attractive 
fluid than is actually required. The mouth of the 
flower is closed by a pair of lips which are pressed 
tightly together to prevent the entrance of small 
insects bent on taking honey or pollen, or both, 
without rendering any services in return. On the 
upper lip of the flower there are a few fine dark lines 
pointing to the entrance, whilst between two pro- 
tuberances on the lower lip there is a channel for the 
insect’s tongue. Within, the arrangement of the 
organs is similar to that of the Foxglove, except that 
anthers and stigma ripen simultaneously. Fertilisa- 
tion is chiefly effected by bees, but of much smaller 
species than those visiting the Foxglove. 
All this time the flower has turned as far as 
possible away from the wall, but fertilisation having 
been effected, the curve goes out of the flower-stalk, 
and the swelling ovary hides beneath the leaves. 
After a time the ovary has developed into the seed- 
