382 Dr Fulton on the Inflorescence, Moral Structure, and 



During the pistillate stage the stamens lie bent back on 

 the floor of the corolla, below the level of the lower lip, 

 and therefore out of the path to the nectary ; but as soon 

 as this stage is completed, they begin to unbend and come 

 forward. They do so singly and in succession, but there 

 is a decided pause between the movement of the first and 

 second pairs (fig. 4). The two inferior stamens, which lie 

 next the pistil, move forward first, the one which is 

 nearest the flow^er of the previous generation usually, but 

 not always, taking the lead (figs. 2, 3). The external 

 stamens follow in a similar way (fig. 5), and come to lie 

 above the horizontally projecting internal pair. Owing 

 to a somewhat spiral twist in the filaments, especially of 

 ,the external stamens, the first part of the movement 

 brings the anther into the middle line. It then traverses 

 an arc in the same plane as and almost coincident with 

 that which the stigma took previously, and finally, from 

 the straightening of the filament, it is protruded consider- 

 ably beyond the margin of the lower lip. Dehiscence, 

 which takes place superiorly by a gradually increasing 

 transverse slit, begins shortly after the anther rises ; and 

 the latter is maintained in an obliquely erect position so 

 long as it contains pollen, but "when the pollen is shed it 

 falls into line with the horizontal filament. In protected 

 flowers the anthers retain their pollen for a considerable 

 time after all the stamens are forward, as projecting, 

 slightly coherent masses which block up the lower half of 

 the corolla aperture, and cross-fertilisation could readily 

 occur even at this stage ; but in those exposed to the 

 visits of insects it is rare to find a single anther fully 

 forward that has not been robbed of its pollen. The 

 pollen is powdery, and readily adheres to even a polished 

 surface. 



Since each flower passes through a similar cycle, the 

 relative number of the flowers in the difi'erent stages "will 

 indicate the relative duration of those stages. 



The following table shows the several stages of 810 

 flowers examined at difi'erent periods of the year and 

 day, and in various states of the weather : — 



