160 On Plants and Insects. 



almost sure to seize it in her jaws ; and if bees, 

 when visiting any particular flowers, were liable to 

 have the delicate tip of their proboscis seized on by 

 the horny jaws of an ant, we may be sure that such 

 a plant would soon be deserted. 



8. On the other hand, we know how fond ants 

 are of honey, and how zealously and unremittingly 

 they search for food. How is it, then, that they do 

 not anticipate the bees, and secure the honey for 

 themselves ? Kerner has recently published a most 

 interesting book on this subject, and has pointed 

 out a number of ingenious contrivances by which 

 flowers protect themselves from the unwelcome 

 visits of such intruders. The most frequent are 

 the interposition of thick hedges, as it were, in the 

 shape of hairs, which ants cannot penetrate, glu- 

 tinous parts which they cannot traverse, slipper)' 

 slopes which they cannot climb, or barriers which 

 close the way. 



9. Firstly, then, as regards these hairs. In some 

 respects these are the most effectual protection, 

 since they exclude not only creeping insects, but 

 also other creatures, such as slugs. With this 

 object, it will be observed that the hairs which 

 cover the stalks of so many herbs usually point 

 downwards. A good example of this is afforded, 

 for instance, by a plant (fig. 56) allied to our common 

 Blue Scabious. The heads of the common Carline 

 (fig. 55), again present a sort of thicket, which must 

 offer an almost impenetrable barrier to ants. Some 



