72 



The author of "Field, Fore.st and Wayside Flowers," in 

 describing the difference between day and night blossoms, 

 says of the red campion. Lychnis githago, a day bloomer: 

 "A few clearly-drawn, dark lines, running from the edge 

 of the blossom to its centre, are a floral signal-code telling 

 the butterflies where the nectar which they seek is stored,"' 

 etc. 



The evening-lychnis of a white color, "has no lines to 

 indicate the whereabouts of its nectar, for these would be 

 undistinguishable in the dark, and therefore useless," etc. 

 "But a very small object, if it be white, can l^e seen in the 

 darkest hours of a moonless night." 



This of course is not a very satisfactory reason why night 

 bloomers have no dark markings. We are not altogether 

 certain that a winged insect which could see a white flower 

 by twilight, might not notice a red or purple spot on the 

 petals ; certainly there would be a sharp contrast of light 

 and shade. But we think this lack of guide markings can 

 easily be accounted for in another manner. 



We have shown that they are incident to a general change 

 of color, usually of a dark tint to a lighter one, commonly 

 flrst to white. Among night blooming flowers there are no 

 dark colors, no red, purple or blue. If dame Nature ever 

 produced them, she long ago corrected that mistake for, at 

 present, they are only white, pale yellow, or pink. Such 

 flowers as Azalea viscosa and Oenothera biennis have 

 adapted themselves to night shadows and their colors, white 

 and yellow, are the very best for nocturnal insects, there- 

 fore they never change, and there can never be any red or 

 purple spots, simply because there are no flowers of these 

 colors ! 



There is, however, one twilight bloomer at least, and 

 there may be others, having guide markings, I refer to 

 Convolvulus sepium. It is a pink flower, funnel form, of 

 the size and appearance of a Morning Glory. The wide 

 tu])e is white, with Ave white rays extending up through 



