SOME FLORAL ADVERTISEMENTS 



by Kemer, who relates how he found a convol- 

 vulus hawk-moth resting near some honeysuckle 

 plants^ and removed it to a garden three hundred 

 yards away, first marking it with cinnabar so 

 that he could recognise it again. ^^,When twilight 

 fell/' he states, ^'the hawk-moth began to wave 

 the feelers, which serve it as olfactory organs, 

 hither and thither a few times, then stretched its 

 wings and flew like an arrow through the garden 

 towards the honeysuckle. Shortly afterwards I 

 met the hawk-moth with the cinnabar mark 

 hovering over these flowers and sucking the 

 honey. It had flown straight to the plant, and 

 must have been able to smell the scent of the 

 flowers even at so great a distance." 



Of course, there are the general advertisers ; 

 flowers that keep open house, as it were, and 

 cater more or less for all. The common yellow 

 buttercups are flowers of this order. Also another 

 example is that of the familiar White Water 

 Lily (NymphrBa alba), illustrated in Fig. 115, 

 (Plate 83). I am inclined to think, however, that 

 this plant somewhat favours small beetles and flies 

 that fly, in the sunlight, above the surface of the 

 water. At first glance its pure white colour might 

 incline one to think that it catered for night-flying 

 moths. A little observation, though, will show 

 that at evening the flowers close, and that they 

 open again between six and seven in the morning ; 

 also that on dull days they remain closed through- 

 out the day. Evidentl}^, therefore, it is sun-loving 

 insects that the water lily courts ; at all events, its 



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