LIFE HISTORIES OF FAMILIAR PLANTS 



observing Fig. 8i (Plate 57), within the two upper 

 hood-hke petals will be seen a dark-looking object 

 with a round, pale-coloured base that projects a short 

 distance into the mouth of the tube of the nectary. 

 This object is the remaining stamen that produces 

 the fertilising pollen, and around its pale-coloured 

 base at the top of the tube are the stigmas to 

 receive the pollen — but the pollen of another 

 flower. 



The visiting bee or fly, then, lands upon the 

 stage or lip of the flower, and inserts its proboscis 

 to search the nectar3\ In reaching to the depths 

 of the tube, its head, eyes, or some part of its 

 proboscis invariably comes into contact with the 

 pale-coloured disk of the stamen that projects into 

 the tube of the nectary. This disk is viscid, and 

 immediately the insect touches it the disk adheres 

 to the part in contact with it, and at the same time 

 the little sac that encloses the pollen bursts open. 

 The insect having quenched its thirst, withdraws 

 its proboscis and flies away; but not as it came, 

 for on its forehead, or on some part of its proboscis, 

 it now has two tiny but beautifully-formed clubs 

 which it withdrew, together with the viscid disk, 

 from the stamen sac, or pouch. These two little 

 clubs stand upright upon the head or some other 

 part of the anatomy of the insect, when first with- 

 drawn from their cover, but, as it flies, in about 

 half a minute, they fail forward, towards the apex 

 of its proboscis. 



I have endeavoured to illustrate this proceeding 

 artificially in Figs. 85 and S6 (Plate 60), since a 



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