Guests Welcome and Unwelcome 237 



contained in a sheath, properly called a spathe, which 

 is snowy white in the ' arum-lily ' and j:^reenish in the 

 wild one. The real blossoms are clustered round the 

 sceptre, or spadix, which is goKlen in the one, and 

 purplish, or brown, in the other. 



In some of the southern and foreign arums the lower 

 part of the sheath, which is enlarged and contains the 

 blossoms, is shut off by a ring of longish hairs which 

 point downwards and allow the visitors to enter easily, 

 but effectually prevent their coming out again until 

 they have done what is wanted of them. The lower 

 part of the spadix generally bears the flowers with 

 pistils, those with stamens being arranged in a ring a 

 little above. The lower blossoms are ready first, and 

 to them the insects, or some of them, bring pollen from 

 other flowers of the same species. But it is not enough 

 for them to bring pollen, they must also carrj- some 

 away, and for this purpose they must be kept until the 

 anthers burst. 



Meanwhile their prison is made very comfortable for 

 them : it is pleasantly scented — we are not speaking 

 now of the fleshy species — it is also warmed and pro- 

 vided with nectar. When the anthers burst, pollen is 

 added to the feast, and some of the captives devour it 

 so greedily as to be quite intoxicated. Enough, how- 

 ever, remains adhering to their legs and bodies to make 

 them acceptable visitors elsewhere, and, as soon as the 

 pollen is shed and there is no further reason for keep- 

 ing them, the hairs which prevented their escape 

 wither and die, and they are free to de[)art — generally, 

 but not always. The hairy arum of the South is said 

 to show her gratitude for the services rendered to her 

 by her visitors, carrion-flies, in a remarkable manner. 



