CHAPTER XIII 



SOME PLANT MARRIAGES AND THE GUESTS THAT ASSIST AT 



THE FUNCTION 



llest, silver butterflies, your quivering wings; 

 Alight, ye beetles, from your airy rings; 

 Ye painted moths, your gold-eyed plumage furl, 

 Bow your wide horns, your spiral trunks uncurl ; 

 Slide here, ye horned snails with varnished shells ; 

 Ye bee-nymphs issue from your waxen cells ! 



ERASMUS DARWIN. 



WE propose to speak in this chapter of a few of the contrivances by 

 which the cross-fertilization of flowers is brought about ; a subject 

 to which a considerable portion of Chapters X, XI, and XII may be regarded 

 as an introduction. A good deal was there said about the means by which 

 insects are attracted to flowers those baits provided by the flowers in the 

 way of bright or dull colours, nectar, pollen, etc., which bees and moths, 

 flies, butterflies, and beetles find so irresistible : but as to what takes placs 



in the flower during and 

 after visitation compara- 

 tively little has been 

 said. In returning to 

 the subject it is not our 

 purpose to confine our 

 remarks as heretofore to 

 the part which insects 

 play in this important 

 work. We propose to 

 consider also the labours 

 of other pollinating 

 agents in the animal 

 world, as snails and 

 birds ; and after that to 

 say something of the 

 transference of pollen by 

 those two inanimate 

 carriers, wind and water. 

 It has been observed 

 422 



FIG. 525. BLUE PASSION-FLOWER (Passiflora ccerulea). 



The crown is split up into narrow threads which are believed to be of service ii 



detaining small insects in the lowest chamber of the flower to encourage th 



visits of humming-birds, the chief pollinators of Passion-flowers. 



