THE WORK OF WINDS AND INSECTS 153 



enough and departs, " the lower lip snaps to, and the 

 nectary disappears from view." ^ 



But here also something else is pretty sure to happen. 

 If the pollen within is ripe, she will be dusted over with 

 it, and will leave some in flowers of a neighbouring plant. 



We need not imagine that the bee understands the 

 make of the flower, or knows that a certain pressure will 

 cause the store of sweet stuff to come within her reach. 

 Matters are so planned that she, taking her position at 

 the entrance and trying to get in, will naturally exert 

 such pressure. Still, when she has done it often, it is 

 not impossible that she may remember how she got in 

 before. 



In much the same manner bees creep into the flowers 

 of Foxgloves and Snapdragons. With the Wild Mustard 

 a curious scheme is followed. The anthers are first 

 bent towards the pistil ; which might seem all right for 

 the depositing of pollen on the stigmas. But when the 

 pollen is nearly ripe, the stamens very curiously twist 

 themselves round, till their faces are turned away from 

 the pistil. Could speech say more plainly, " No, my 

 pollen is not wanted there : it must go elsewhere, and 

 pollen from some other plant has to come here " ? 



A second reason exists for this singular behaviour of 

 the stamens. When a bee comes in for food, it so 

 happens that the anthers as now placed — after the turn- 

 about of the stamens — will brush her back with pollen. 

 But if they had remained as they were before, she might 

 have failed to carry any away. So the golden stuff which 

 may not go to the pistils close at hand is borne away to 

 other plants ; and more bees, going first to those plants, 

 1 Kerner and Oliver, ii. 228. 



