84 



SAGACITY AND MORALITY OF PLANTS. 



s V 



in the Hawthorn, from white to a defined and some- 

 times strong tint of red, and in 

 the Little Celandine {Ranuncit- 

 lics ficaria), which bleaches into 

 a white. May not all the faded 

 or fading colours of flowers 

 indicate to intelligent insects 

 which have been already visited, 

 seeing that the usual thing that 

 takes place when the pistil has 

 been fertilised is for the auxili- 

 ary parts to fade and die off, 



Fig. 3i.-Section of Dead-nettle, foj- their work is donc, and 



showing the various parts of 



the flower, and the labium they arc no longcr wantcd ? 



{to) for insects to alight upon. 



The mechanical construc- 

 tions of those all -important floral organs, stamens 



Fig. 32. — Flower and stamens of Salvia. The latter show the movable connective 

 {in) by means of which the stamens («) are brought down on an insect's back. 



and pistils, in the highest developed of flowers, are 

 worthy of the most careful attention. Let us take 



