INSECTS AND FLOWERS 215 



and the body of the visiting insect must fit the 

 flower if cross-pollination is to be successfully 

 accomplished ; consequently these flowers are 

 dependent upon the visits of the large-bodied 

 humble-bees for the transference of their pollen. 

 Certain species of beetles, flies, hive and 

 wild bees, including humble-bees, wasps, butter- 

 flies and moths, all visit flowers in search 

 of honey or pollen, and by their visits act all 

 unconsciously as the agents for transferring the 

 pollen from one flower to the stigma of another. 

 In watching these various types of insects, one 

 quickly realizes that flowers of different shapes 

 and tints have their own particular insect visitors, 

 thus the great Parsley and Daisy families are 

 chiefly frequented by short-tongued insects like 

 beetles and flies ; the Peas, Clovers, and Violets, 

 from the shape of their flowers, requiring 

 insects with slightly longer proboscis to reach 

 their hone} 7 " glands, are visited in some cases 

 entirely by bees; the White Dead-Nettie and 

 Foxglove are examples of flowers specially 

 adapted to the visits of humble-bees ; and 

 lastly, we may take the Pinks and Honeysuckle 

 as flowers specially adapted to receive the visits 

 of butterflies and moths. In general terms 

 flowers dependent upon the visits of insects to 

 fertilize their stigmas are (i) brightly coloured 

 or scented; (2) possess honey glands which 

 attract insects, and are so placed as to be easily 

 accessible only to winged insects in some in- 

 stances, i.e. Poppy, Potato, etc., honey is replaced 

 by a greater supply of pollen ; (3) the pollen- 

 grains are usually sticky, and therefore readily 



