NATURAL HISTORY STUDIES 



leaf, and having child-leaves, and children's children 

 of leaves, to make the earth fair for ever. And 

 when the leaves marry they put on wedding-robes, 

 and are more glorious than Solomon in all his 

 glory, and they have feasts of honey, and we call 

 them flowers" 



In the great majority of cases the pollen is carried 

 from one flower to another of the same kind by an 

 insect intent on its own affairs collecting nectar and 

 pollen. As the dusting with pollen secures not only 

 fertilization, but cross -fertilization, and as the latter 

 is sometimes the only possible mode, and sometimes, 

 at least, the most advantageous mode as far as the 

 crop of seeds is concerned, we are not surprised 

 to find that flowers are in many ways specially 

 suited to attract insect-visitors of a profitable kind, 

 and to make the most of their visits. 



Let us take the simplest attraction first that of 

 nectar-production. The plant is a sugar-factory ; 

 the leaves make enough and to spare ; there is a 

 surplus which oozes out as "a feast of honey." 

 But an unregulated overflow would be disadvan- 

 tageous in attracting unwelcome guests ; thus 

 nectaries tend to be restricted to the flower, and to 

 occur in useful positions in the flower. When the 

 fit and proper visitors have come and gone, when 

 pollination has been effected, when the season is 

 getting on, then the nectaries close up, the feast is 

 over, and the fruit begins to fill. 



A second characteristic of the flower is fragrance, 

 of which many insects are very fond. What is the 

 origin of this incense, whose usefulness in attracting 



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