Mint and Thyme aye 
is developed, and larger ones, in which at first the 
style is immature, whilst the anthers are ripe; but 
after these have shed their pollen, the style develops, 
and the two stigmatic lobes mature and separate. 
Honey is secreted by the base of the ovary, and is 
protected from rain by a number of hairs extending 
from the walls of the corolla. Short-tongued flies 
are the chief fertilismg agents. As might be ex- 
pected, the larger flowers are visited first. 
The very common Water-mint (J. aquatica) has a 
sunilar arrangement of the floral organs, but instead 
of the large and small flowers occurring in equal 
numbers, as they do in the Corn-mint, the larger ones 
are very much more numerous in the Water-mint. The 
honey, too, 1s less accessible to short-tongued insects, on 
account of the corolla-tube being longer; but as the 
flower-spikes are denser and taller, more insects visit 
them, including several of the smaller bees (Halictus). 
Gipsy-wort (Lycopus ewropeus) is another marsh- 
loving plant, with minute whorled flowers producing 
honey, and maturing their anthers earlier than the 
stigmas. The bluish corolla is spotted with purple in 
the way of guides to the honey, which is protected 
by hairs. This also appears to be a degenerate flower, 
for owing to its small size it has taken to develop 
only two of its stamens, which are placed on opposite 
sides, as far away from the style as possible, so that 
there is little likelihood of self-fertilisation taking 
place—even if the anthers and stigmas matured 
together, which is not the case, for the stamens are 
withered before the stigmas mature. 
Marjoram (Origanum vulgare), which grows in tall 
masses on dry banks and downs, has larger flowers, 
