74 MYSTERIES OF THE FLOWERS 



might form veritable funnels to catch the dew and 

 rain, but, to keep their pollen dry, the fringed 

 gentian closes in cloudy or wet weather, and the 

 closed gentian never opens at all. For this reason 

 it has been thought that the latter flower was self- 

 fertilised — a thing most unlikely on account of the 

 positions and the successive maturing of the stamens 

 and pistils. The colour, too, shows that this gentian 

 strives to attract bees who alight upon it and tear 

 apart the petals, as we would force our hands into 

 a closed bag of peanuts. I have once had the 

 pleasure of seeing a bumblebee thus enter a closed 

 gentian with an assurance that proved he was an 

 old burglar, experienced in "breaking and taking." 

 Many flowers, as we know, are arranged on tall 

 upright stems, forming spikes most graceful to 

 look upon, and collectively most attractive to the 

 bees. But have we noticed that, as a rule, the lower 

 flowers open first, and that the blooming proceeds 

 upward? Have we discovered that usually the 

 stamens develop when each flower opens, and that 

 the pistil matures later, making the upper flowers, 

 new ly opened, staminate flowers, and the lower and 

 older flowers pistillate ones? Such, however, is the 

 case in many flowers growing in this way. We have 

 but to examine the mints, the lobelias, the larkspurs, 

 to assure ourselves of the facts, and perhaps to dis- 



