22 



ON FLOWERS AND INSECTS. 



[LECT. 



pistil, on which it could hardly fail to deposit some 

 pollen, had it previously visited another plant. It 

 would then press its proboscis up the bell, in doing 

 which it would pass between two of the spokes, and 

 pressing them apart, would dislocate the ring of anthers : 

 a shower of pollen would thus fall upon the open cells on 



to the head of the bee. 



In many cases the effect 

 of the colouring and scent is 

 greatly enhanced by the asso- 

 ciation of several flowers in 

 one bunch, or raceme ; as for 

 instance in the wild hyacinth, 

 the lilac, and other familiar 

 species. In the great family 

 of Umbellifera, this arrange- 

 ment is still further taken ad- 

 vantage of, as in the Common 

 Wild Chervil (ChcerophijUum 

 sylvestre, Fig. 21). 



In this group the honey is 



not, as in the flowers just described, situated at the 

 bottom of a tube, but lies exposed, and is therefore 

 accessible to a great variety of small insects. The union 

 of the florets into a head, moreover, not only renders 

 them more conspicuous, but also enables the insects to 

 visit a greater number of flowers in a given time. 



It might at first be supposed that in such small 

 flowers as these self-fertilization would be almost un- 

 avoidable. In most cases, however, the stamens ripen 

 before the stigmas. 



The position of the honey on the surface of a more or 



IIG. 21. Wild Chervil (Chcero- 

 phyllum sylvestre}. 



