On Flowers and Insects. 135 



and see how far we can answer the questions which 

 I began by asking. 



8. In the first place, the honey attracts insects. 

 If there were no honey, they would have no object 

 in visiting the flower. The bright colour is useful 

 in rendering the flower conspicuous. The platform 

 serves as an alighting stage for bees. The length 

 of the tube has reference to that of their proboscis, 

 and prevents the smaller species from obtaining 

 access to the honey, which would be injurious to 

 the flower, as it would remove the source of 

 attraction for the bees, without effecting the object 

 in view. The upper arch of the flower protects the 

 stamens and pistil, and also presses them firmly 

 against the back of the bee ; so that, when the bee 

 alights on the stage and pushes its proboscis down 

 to the honey, its back comes into contact with 

 them. The row of small hairs at the bottom of 

 the tube prevents small insects from creeping down 

 the tube and stealing the honey. Lastly, the small 

 processes on each side of the lower lip are the 

 rudimentary representatives of parts formerly more 

 largely developed, but which, having become use- 

 less, have almost disappeared. 



9. In the Deadnettle it would appear that the 

 pistil matures as early as the stamens, and that cross- 

 fertilisation is attained by the relative position of 

 the stigma, which, as will be seen in the figure, 

 hangs down below the stamens ; so that a bee, 

 bearing pollen on its back from a previous visit to 



