THE WELCOMES OF THE FLOWERS 139 



are we likely to see the ring in its perfection, as in 

 a state of nature the wind and insects rarely per- 

 mit it to remain. 



If we now with a sharp knife make a vertical 



Fig. 10 



section, as shown at A (Fig. 3), we may observe the 

 conical receptacle studded with its embryo seeds, 

 each bearing a tiny tubular blossom. Three dis- 

 tinct forms of these flowers are to be seen. The 

 lower and older ones are conspicuous by their 

 double feathery tails, the next by their extended 

 anthers bearing the pollen at their extremity, 

 and above these again the buds in all stages of 

 growth. These various states are indicated in 

 Fig. u. 



As in all the Composite, the anthers are here 

 united in a tube, the pollen being discharged 

 within. At the base of this anther-tube rises the 

 pistil, which gradually elongates, and like a piston 

 forces out the pollen at the top. Small insects in 



