55 THE FERTILISATION OF FLOWERS. [cHApP. 
is the stigma, beneath which is AN, the anther. LP 
is the large perianth segment, and sp the smaller. 
A bee visiting one of these flowers would alight on 
the platform LP, and insert its proboscis down the 
nectary (NEC, fig. 70), where the honey is secreted. 
In doing this its head would come in contact with 
the anther AN, and dislodge some of the pollen, 
which would probably be deposited on the stigma of 
another flower. From the position of the anthers 
self-fertilisation is improbable. 
We are tempted in writing of these wonderful con- 
trivances to multiply examples to a greater extent, 
for where all is so full of interest the difficulty is what 
to select. But for the present we must content our- 
selves with the meagre selection already given, in the 
hope that our readers will seek out from Nature other 
examples for themselves. The smallest garden, or 
even the few plants on a town window-sill, will 
furnish examples, and there is this advantage about 
the study—there is the probability of discovering 
some new facts concerning fertilisation, for until 
recently no attention has been paid to the subject. 
Yet now that Mr. Darwin, followed by other able 
scientists, has called attention to it, facts which pre- 
viously we could not understand (or if we did under- 
stand some of them it was but imperfectly), seem 
perfectly easy of comprehension, We now know why 
the Evening Primrose is only fragrant at night, and 
why the White Campion only opens its beautiful 
flowers at the same period. Because they are depen- 
dent upon the moths for fertilisation, therefore, it 
would not be any advantage, but rather a loss, to 
