THE FLOWER AND THE BEE 



fact. Riley at first believed that the stigmatic fluid was a form 

 of nectar, which attracted the moth to the stigmas. The ball 

 of pollen, he thought, might have been accunmlated acci- 

 dentally and, proving an encumbrance while the insect was 

 feeding, was dislodged and left in the stigmatic cavity. But 

 twenty years of experience and the discovery that Pronuha 

 passed her life without taking food compelled him to admit 

 that her acts were "more unselfish." 



Kerner looks upon this act as "unconsciously purposeful,'* 

 and compares it with the instinct of those caterpillars which, 

 living in the hard parts of wood, before they pass into the 

 chrysalid stage make a special exit by which the tender adult 

 insects may emerge into the world. But it is not difficult to 

 see how this latter habit has arisen. These larvae undoubtedly 

 at first underwent their transformations outside of the plant, 

 but later remained within their burrows for the sake of the 

 greater protection afforded. Instinctively they continued to 

 make an exit. The habit has never weakened, since any cater- 

 pillar which failed to make an opening left no descendants. 



Coquillet would regard the behavior of Pronuba as a purely 

 intelligent act. "There appears to be no doubt," he says, 

 "that she was in possession of the fact that, unless she did thus 

 pollinate the flower, there would be no seed-pods for her off- 

 spring to live on." But it seems past belief that Pronuba has 

 long been in possession of knowledge that has only recently 

 become known to the human race. It is far more probable to 

 suppose that the pollen was collected at first for some purpose 

 useful to the species, although it is difficult to imagine in what 

 way, for there is no reason to believe that the larvae were ever 

 fed with pollen, as in the case of the brood of bees. It w^ill be 

 noticed that the moth gathers the ball of pollen before she 

 lays her eggs, and that, after they have been deposited, she 



144 



