32 Field, Forest, and Wayside Flowers 



But the pollen grains which are to be entrusted 

 to insect messengers are often sticky or roughened 

 all over with little points, so that they catch on 

 the hairy bodies of their winged porters, and cling. 



The interdependence between flowers and their 

 guests has lasted for so many generations, that 

 certain insects have modified their chosen blossoms 

 somewhat, and the flowers, in their turn, have 

 modified their messengers. Thus there have come 

 so be hereditary friendships in the outdoor world, 

 to strong and so enduring that Delphino, who 

 gave the subject much study, has made a rough 

 classification in which flowering plants are graded 

 "according to the company they keep." 



His "first class" are adapted for the larger 

 bees. They have diurnal flowers, with colors and 

 scents attractive to man also. 



Flowers of the second class are the particular 

 friends of the lesser bees, though they also show 

 hospitality to many other small insects. " These 

 flowers," says Delphino, rather disparagingly, " have 

 quite incomprehensible attractions for their visitors." 



The third class comprises the big-fly flowers 

 These are often in dull shades of yellow and red, 

 and exhale an odor disagreeable to man and to 

 bees. 



