PLANTS DEFEND THEMSELVES 39 



bee, on a honey-gathering trip, attracted by the 

 brilliant touch of colour at the tip of the blossom, 

 alights on the end of the lower petal, his weight 

 bears it down, opening the door, and he walks in 

 and has his feast, incidentally brushing the pollen 

 as he passes. 



This means of protection the shape of the 

 flower is only one of many means followed by 

 various plants. Every observant person has no- 

 ticed the glossy, varnish-like stems which some 

 plants have. This varnish-covering is another 

 means of defence utilised by the ingenious plants. 

 That surface with its glossy sheen presents a foot- 

 ing far too slippery for any of the nimble-footed 

 ants and their kin to ascend; and so against such 

 incursions the honey-well is secured. The catkins 

 of the willow show this condition admirably: over 

 their surfaces is temptingly displayed a nectar, 

 so sweet and seductive that winged pollen-bearers 

 are attracted from all directions to the enjoyment 

 of the repast, but this same exudation renders the 

 stem so slippery and impassable that the grasping 

 wingless insect cannot ascend. 



Another very common defence against the crawl- 

 ing pest is a sticky glue, which, instead of allow- 

 ing the marauding intruder to slip back, holds him 

 fast, a prisoner dying in sight of the joys that have 



