2i 4 OUR INSECT FRIENDS AND FOES 



the flower of the White Dead-Nettle, alights on 

 the middle lobe of the lower lip, and pushes its 

 head down the tube in order to reach the honey 

 at the base of the tube. In doing this, the bee 

 brings its back into contact, first with the 

 stigma, and immediately afterwards with the 

 anthers. The consequence is that pollen lodged 

 on the humble-bee's back by a previously visited 

 flower is conveyed to the stigma of a flower 

 before the pollen of this latter is touched by the 

 insect ; and so cross-pollination is with certainty 

 obtained. 



The flowers of the Foxglove, like those of the 

 White Dead-Nettie, are cross-pollinated through 

 the visits of humble-bees only. The humble- 

 bee creeps bodily into the tubular flower, which 

 its body just fills, and its back comes first into 

 contact with the stigma-lobes and then with 

 the anthers, so that pollen from a previously 

 visited flower is invariably rubbed on to the 

 stigma. All the flowers of the Foxglove family 

 (Scrophularinece) show interesting adaptations 

 and modifications for the visits of insects, thus the 

 flowers of the Speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys), 

 having a very short corolla-tube and easily acces- 

 sible honey, are especially visited and cross- 

 pollinated by various flower-flies; the Figwort 

 (Scrophularia), which has short, wide, chocolate- 

 coloured flowers, and readily found honey, is 

 singularly attractive to wasps, and is almost 

 entirely cross-pollinated through the visits of 

 those insects. The Foxglove, the Snapdragon, 

 and the Toadflax all possess flowers with long 

 corolla-tubes and with hidden honey nectaries, 



