"Blossom Hosts jiid Insect Guests 



At the time they were both, probably, at a low 

 stage of development, visited by many insects, but 

 adapted to no special class. They doubtless enter- 

 tained vagrants such as we see to-day wandering 

 from flower to flower, 



" Kissing all buds that are pretty and sweet." 



This proved a poor method for both flowers and 

 insects. The insects miorht visit blossom after 

 blossom, only to find that the nectaries had been 

 drained by previous guests ; and the flowers, 

 since they had no special attraction to offer over 

 any other flowers, constantly ran the risk of being 

 passed by and left to wither, their mission in life 

 unfulfilled or accomplished only by the unsatis- 

 factory process of self-fertilization. 



So it came about that one dav the flower that we 

 now see with the long nectary made a compact 

 with Mistress Butterfly. It agreed to hide its 

 nectar in a deep, narrow^ pocket where Master 

 Bombus could not possibly thrust his great head. 

 The flower which has the shallow nectary, on the 

 other hand, came to an agreement with Master 

 Bombus to broaden its nectar pocket for his special 

 benefit. 



How is the flower designed for Master Bombus 

 protected from the raids of Mistress Butterfly, say 



