34 



MY STUDIO NEIGHBORS 



distant, I at length discovered a single spire, com- 

 posed entirely of pistillate flowers, as shown in 

 A (Fig. 8), and my magnifying -glass clearly re- 

 vealed the pollen upon their stigmas — doubtless a 

 welcome message brought from the isolated affin- 

 ity afar by some winged sponsor, to whom the 

 peculiar fragrance of the flower offers a special 



attraction, and thus to whom the fortunes of the 

 devil's-bit have been committed. 



The presence of fragrance and hone)' in a dioe- 

 cious flower may be accepted in the abstract as 

 almost conclusive of an insect affinity, as in most 

 flowers of this class, notably the beech, pine, dock, 

 grasses, etc., the wind is the fertilizing agent, and 

 there is absence alike of conspicuous color, fra- 

 grance, and nectar — attributes which refer alone 

 to insects, or possibly humming-birds in certain 

 species. 



