116 * THE FERTILISATION OF FLOWERS. [parr mu. 
_ making the flower conspicuous. It is also rendered perceptible at 
a distance by its powerful scent. 
There is no true expansion of the flower, since its parts lie open . 
even in the bud: the commencement of the flowering-period is 
marked rather by the honey-glands beginning to secrete, and by 
some of the anthers (1, Fig. 35), which had been bent down under 
the pistil, dehiscing and rising up towards the honey-secreting plate, 
while the three or four carpels at the same time develop stigmatic 
papille at their apices. 
Since the pistil projects considerably from the middle of the : 
horizontal flower, it forms the most convenient landing-place for — 
honey-seeking insects, and is hence very readily covered with 
pollen from other flowers. In default of insect-visits self-fertilisa- 
tion takes place, as the stigmas lie immediately underneath the 
erect anthers. Plants which were kept protected from insects 
yielded capsules filled with good seed. 
The flowers are especially visited by species of Prosopis. In 
July, 1867, I had some pots of mignonette in flower in the open . 
window of my room. Specimens of Prosopis kept constantly 
coming and fluttering, sometimes five or six together, in an un- 
usually lively way about the flowers. They sometimes plunged 
their heads between the shield-like plate and the upper petals, 
licking up the honey with outstretched tongue, and sometimes 
gnawed through the still unopened anthers and devoured the 
pollen. In subsequent years I have repeatedly observed these 
actions on J. odorata and R. luteola, L., both cultivated and wild. 
Altogether I have noted the following insects as visitors of our 
species of Reseda, including R. odorata. 
A. Hymenoptera—(a) Apide: A Prosopis communis, Nyl. BS 6, very 
ab. ; (2) P. armillata, N. 9 ¢; (3) P. signata, Pz. 9 ¢, ab.; (4) P. pictipes © 
Nyl. ¢; (5) P. annularis, Sm.?; (6) Apis mellifica, L. $, ab. s. ‘and Cp. 5 
(7) Halictus zonulus, Sm. 9c.p.; (8) H. Smeathmanellus, K. Qc.p.; (b) Sphe- 
gidew: (9) Cerceris variabilis, Schrk. 2 ¢, s. and f.p. B. Diptera—Syrphide : 
(10) Syritta pipiens, L., f.p. C. Thysanoptera-—(11) Thrips, very ab, 
43. RESEDA LUTEOLA, L. :— 
Hymenoptera—Apide: (1) Prosopis armillata, Nyl. 2 ¢, ab.; (2) P. 
communis, Nyl. 2? ¢, very ab., s. and fp. ; (3) Apis mellifica, L. 9, s. and e.p. ; 
(4) Andrena nigroznea, K.?,s8, See also 590, I. 
44, RESEDA LUTEA, L, (Thuringia) :— 
Hymenoptera—(a) Sphegide: (1) Cerceris arenaria, L., scarce; (2) C. 
labiata, F., ab.; (3) C. variabilis, Schrk., very ab.; (0) Vespide: (4) 
Odynerus parietum, L. ¢, all sucking. 
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