74 



returns several times, he is likely to make a path. Figura- 

 tively speaking, the special markings on the petals of 

 flowers are the foot-prints of the bees and the butterflies. 

 When they follow the same route for nectar, they leave a 

 trail ; where the butterflies walk around the stamens of a 

 pink they leave the impressions of their tiny feet in the 

 shape of a circle ; when a bee rubs his back against the 

 petals of a poppy he makes a similar shaped spot on each ; 

 and when with his tongue he laps the nectar on the petals 

 of the tulip-tree, he paints a golden band ; when he falls to 

 the bottom of the cup-shaped tulip, he in his scrambling 

 describes a disc of blue or yellow. 



Bees and butterflies work unconsciously as Nature's agents 

 in flower decoration ; some of the markings prove to be of 

 utility in guiding the insect descendants of those who made 

 them ; some, in regular flowers Avhere the lines from every 

 side [)oint to the centre, arc of no especial value ; others 

 neither direct nor have any connection with the nectaries, 

 but all, l)eing footprints of nectar loving insects, may pos- 

 sibly indicate to the more intelligent of their kind that the 

 flowers are especially nectariferous. 



VARIEGATION OF LEAVES, ETC. 



Special markings are not peculiar to flowers ; the varie- 

 gation extends to leaves and steins. Notice the pale cres- 

 cent on Clover leaf ; the purple zone on Pelargonium zonaJe; 

 the mottled leaves of Erythronium and Chimaphila ; the 

 brown-purple spot on Enphorhki niaculata, and the more 

 brilliant markings on leaves of tropical plants, referred to 

 elsewhere. As the upper and lower surfaces of petals are 

 sometimes of different colors, so leaves are found with one 

 side differing from the other ; some species of Oxalis, Tra- 

 descantia, Begonia, Nymphani, Cineraria, etc., are reddish- 

 purple beneath and green above ; certain species of Quercus, 

 Populus and Vitis are white beneath. On trunks and stems 

 of trees and shrubs the green or brownish basal color is 



