124 



MY STUDIO NEIGHBORS 



cordial spirit by a mimic display of pyrotechnics as 

 the anthers hurl aloft their tiny showers of pollen ! 

 Every one is familiar with the curious construc- 

 tion of this flower, with its ten radiating stamens, 

 each with its anther snugly tucked away in a 



pouch at the rim of 

 its saucer-shaped co- 

 rolla. Thus they ap- 

 pear in the freshly 

 opened flower, and 

 thus will they re- 

 main and wither if 

 the flower is brought 

 in-doors and placed 



in a vase upon our mantel. Why? Because the 

 hope of the blossom's life is not fulfilled in these 

 artificial conditions ; its natural counterpart, the 

 insect, has failed to respond to its summons. 



But the twilight cluster in the woods may tell 

 us a pretty story. 



Here a tiny moth hovers above the tempting 

 chalice, and now settles upon it with eager tongue 

 extended for the nectar at its centre. What an 

 immediate and expressive welcome ! No sooner 

 has this little feathery body touched the filaments 

 than the eager anthers are released from their 

 pockets, and, springing inwards, clasp their little 



