CHAPTER LXII 



THE BUMBLE-BEE 



THE flowers with pollen were cut off, those with 

 ovaries wrapped each in a separate gauze-bag. 

 Kvi'iy morning they went and watched the blossom- 

 ing. With pollen taken from the cut flowers they 

 powdered the stigmas of four or five pistillate blos- 

 soms. And it happened just as their uncle had said. 

 The ovaries whose stigmas had received the pollen 

 became pumpkins, the others dried up without swell- 

 ing. Now, during these experiments, which were 

 both a serious study and a joyful amusement, Uncle 

 Paul continued his account of the flower. 



"The pollen reaches the stigma in divers ways. 

 Sometimes the stamens, which are longer, let it fall 

 by its own weight on the shorter pistil. Sometimes 

 the wind, shaking the flower, deposits the dust of 

 the stamens on the stigma, or even carries it long 

 distances for the benefit of other ovaries. 



"There are flowers whose stamens behave in such 

 a manner as to fulfil their mission. They bend over 

 alternately and apply their anthers to the stigma, 

 t lii-re to deposit some pollen ; then slowly raise them- 

 selves to give place one to another. They might be 

 regarded as a circle of courtiers depositing their 

 <>it i in_rs at the feet of a great king. These salnta- 

 tions at an ml, the role of the stamens is finished. 



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