IV ON PLANT LIFE 135 
tinually deceived. Paris quadrifolia also 
takes them in with a deceptive promise of the 
same kind. Some foreign plants have livid 
yellow and reddish flowers, with a most offen- 
sive smell, and are constantly visited by Flies, 
which apparently take them for pieces of 
decaying meat. 
The flower of the common Lords 
and Ladies (Arum) of our hedges 
is a very interesting case. The 
narrow neck bears a number of 
hairs pointing downwards. The 
stamens are situated above the 
stigma, which comes to maturity 
first. Small Flies enter the flower 
apparently for shelter, but the hairs 
prevent them from returning, and 
they are kept captive until the 
anthers have shed their pollen. 
Then, when the Flies have been 
well dusted, the hairs shrivel up, leaving a 
clear road, and the prisoners are permitted 
to escape. The tubular flowers of Aristolochia 
offer a very similar case. 
Fig. 14.—Arum. 
