194 MYSTERIES OF THE FLOWERS 



of gayest colours such as we see on the petals of the 

 nasturtium and the pansy, or in the throat of the 

 gladiolus. They correspond to the bull's-eye of the 

 target, or the little red heart embroidered upon the 

 sweater which swordsmen wear in tournaments of 

 fencing. 



Much has been written about protective colouring 

 among birds and animals, which melts their plum- 

 age or fur into their surroundings and cloaks them 

 with a mantle of invisibility. Now, colouration 

 among the flowers is just the reverse of protective. 

 It is as a trumpet-call to attract attention to them, 

 and to bring faithful insects to do their bidding. 

 For a brief season flowers strive to be as conspicu- 

 ous as they can, and to outshine their neighbours and 

 their rivals. 



Just how much the colour of flowers serves as 

 lures to the insects, we do not know with precision. 

 Darwin, Miiller and Lubbock believed it to be very 

 potent, and took great pains to classify insects ac- 

 cording to their apparent preferences for one colour 

 or another. But other writers doubt the efficacy 

 of colour as a lure. Gaston Bonnier has published 

 numerous experiments which seem to contradict the 

 belief in the attraction colour exerts upon insects. 

 It is likely that the truth lies somewhere between 

 these two extremes. Insects may be more or less 



