iv ON PLANT LIFE 135 



tinually deceived. Paris quadrifolia also 

 takes them in with a deceptive promise of the 

 same kind. Some foreign plants have livid 

 yellow and reddish flowers, with a most offen- 

 sive smell, and are constantly visited by Flies, 

 which apparently take them for pieces of 

 decaying meat. 



The flower of the common Lords 

 and Ladies (Arum) of our hedges 

 is a very interesting case. The 

 narrow neck bears a number of 

 hairs pointing downwards. The 

 stamens are situated above the 

 stigma, which comes to maturity 

 first. Small Flies enter the flower 

 apparently for shelter, but the hairs 

 prevent them from returning, and 

 they are kept captive until the 

 anthers have shed their pollen. 



Fig. 14. Arum. 



Then, when the Flies have been 

 well dusted, the hairs shrivel up, leaving a 

 clear road, and the prisoners are permitted 

 to escape. The tubular flowers of Aristolochia 

 offer a very similar case. 



