AND CROSS-BREEDING. 14! 



honey or other sweet juice is generally stored in small glands 

 or receptacles, which together form the " nectary," the position 

 of which is extremely variable the deep pits at the base of 

 the corolla in the Crown Imperial, the small scroll-like petals 

 of the Hellebore, the bottom of the spur in Orchises and the 

 Larkspur, the prolongations of two of the stamens which pro- 

 ject into the spur of the Violet and Pansy, very frequently 

 minute glands at the base of the stamens or pistil, &c. 

 Nature is always economical of her resources ; and accord- 

 ingly we do not generally find that strong scent and brill- 

 iant variegation of colour are bestowed on the same flower. 

 Those which are most prized for the power or delicacy of 

 their scent have, as a rule, flowers either inconspicuous, or, if 

 large and conspicuous, of uniform unvariegated colour; as, 

 for instance, the Mignonette, Daphne, Primrose, Sweet Violet, 

 Lily of the Valley,. Rose, Evening Primrose, Pink (in its 

 primitive white state), Honeysuckle, Lime-tree, and many 

 others ; whilst the most brilliantly variegated flowers are com- 

 paratively or quite scentless, as the Fritillary, Pelargonium, 

 larger and smaller Convolvulus, Tropaeolum, Mimulus, Ranun- 

 culus, Pansy, &c. In scented flowers the scent proceeds from 

 the nectar itself, and is therefore a sufficient guide for the in- 

 'sects in search of it. One of the largest of scented flowers, 

 the Evening Primrose, blossoming only in the night, is fecun- 

 dated by night-flying moths, which probably require the large 

 sulphur-yellow flowers, as well as the scent, to guide them 

 from a distance in the dim light. A distinction may also be 

 drawn in general terms between the mode of fertilisation of 

 large conspicuous and of smaller variegated flowers ; the 

 agents in the former case being generally large insects, butter- 

 flies, moths, beetles, or bees ; in the latter, very much smaller 

 ones. If a watch is kept on very large flowers, such as the 

 single Hollyhock, single Paeony, "Convolvulus major" of the 

 gardens, the large white wild Convolvulus, Fuchsia, &c., it 

 will be seen that their visitors mostly consist of large beetles, 

 hive or humble bees, or butterflies ; while the small flowers are 

 overrun with small flies or other minute insects, to which the 

 variegation serves as a guide, the streaks or rows of colouring 

 invariably pointing to the nectary or receptacle of honey. 

 American naturalists state that many of the largest and most 

 gorgeous flowers of the Western continent, such as the 

 Bignonias or Trumpet-flowers, are fecundated by humming- 

 birds. A very good illustration of the different contrivances 

 exhibited by two closely-allied plants one scented and 

 fertilised by bees, the other scentless and variegated, and 



