142 THE METHOD OF DARWIN. 



long-styled form adheres a little way above the* 

 extremity of the object, and some is generally 

 left on the stigma of the other form. In ac- 

 cordance with this observation I found that 

 the two kinds of pollen, which could easily be 

 recognized under the microscope, adhered in 

 this manner to the proboscides of the two 

 species of humble-bees and of the moth which 

 were caught visiting the flowers." l 



From these apparently insignificant deduc- 

 tions and verifications he passed on to show 

 that the short-styled form was far more likely 

 to be self-fertilized than the long-styled form. 

 For when he inserted a bristle or other object 

 into the corolla of the short-styled form, he 

 had to pass it between the anthers seated round 

 the mouth of the corolla, and some of the 

 pollen was almost invariably carried down arid 

 left on the stigma. His inferences concerning 

 adaptation for cross-fertilization in these forms 

 were completely verified, so far as it could be 

 done from a study of the relative positions of 

 the parts of the flowers and the action of insects 

 upon them. The proof was strong enough to 

 support the principle. But for Darwin it was 

 merely made the starting point for further 

 verification from the physiological side. "The 



1 Different Forms of Flowers, etc., pp. 18-24. 



