38 THE HUMAN SIDE OF PLANTS 



the heart of the flowers. But against the crawling 

 insect, which comes to take without giving, all plant 

 forces are arrayed ; for any pollen which the wing- 

 less insect may carry from the plant is lost in de- 

 scending the stem, or is shaken off in the grass, 

 and therefore wasted. 



It is not uncommon to find the nectar or honey 

 stored deep in a long, trumpet-shaped tube as in 

 the honeysuckle, for instance ; in the nasturtium, or 

 the columbine so that only the welcome guests 

 may partake of the feast by means of a long pro- 

 boscis, or sucking organ, which has been especially 

 developed for that purpose. At times, however, 

 even this device is insufficient. Prowling bees and 

 insects, unable to gain admission at the proper 

 entrance, will bore through the wall of the flower 

 and steal the honey within. But in this case the 

 plant answers the attack by developing poisonous 

 or ill-tasting juices in the fibres of the flower-wall, 

 thus keeping the insect away. For every enemy 

 there is a remedy: the plant is supplied according 

 to its needs. 



Very many plants shape their flowers so as to 

 protect the honey against the ravages of useless 

 insects, saving it to tempt the pollen-bearers. In 

 the common toad-flax, or "butter-and-eggs," the 

 petals form closed doors to a small insect; but a 



