162 THE MICROSCOPE AND ITS LESSONS. 



veloped into plants, and the plants into blossoms, the 

 blossoms all died off without ever being renewed, and, 

 upon application to English naturalists, it was discovered 

 that the humble-lee was the insect that had the red clover 

 under its management. The honey-lee having been sup- 

 posed to be the proper instrument, they had imported 

 that bee with the plant, but were unsuccessful until the 

 'humble-lee was sent to them. 



A very remarkable illustration, amongst thousands of 

 others, is here exhibited of the adaptation of means to 

 an end, proving the doctrine of design in one important 

 branch, in the life of a plant. 



There is an aquatic p-ant called Vallisneria spiralis, 

 remarkable, among other things, for its usefulness to the 

 microscopist as showing that marvellous thing, the cir- 

 culation in plants. One day, being in the shop of a well- 

 known optician, one of his friends came in, saying he 

 couldn't think what had come to the Vallisneria in his 

 aquarium " it was all going to stalk ! " 



" Hereby hangs a tale." 



The history of this humble plant affords us one of the 

 most striking instances of design. It is a native of Italy, 

 and is found in the waters of its rivers, and in those of 

 the turbulent Rhone, and it has been introduced into our 

 own country. 



The pollen, borne always on the stamens and anthers 

 of flowers, is their fertilizing ingredient. It is this fine 

 powder which you have just seen in the common mallow, 

 and which you must often have found in the lily when 

 you have intruded your nose into its blossoms, and it 

 has come out powdered with its fertilizing dust, which 

 the bees would have conveyed to the pistil in their visits 

 to the blossoms both stamen and pistil growing to- 

 gether in the lily family 



