How the Flowers Woo the Insects 



Darwin's reply was magnificent in its proof of the 

 sul)lime conviction of the truth of his beHef : "The 

 existence of an orchid with a slender nectary eleven 

 inches in length, and with nectar secreted at its tip, 

 is a conclusive demonstration of the existence of a 

 moth with a tonoue eleven inches in length, even 

 thoiio-Ji no such moth is knoiun.'' 



Some of us rememl)er the ridicule which was 

 heaped upon him for this apparently blind adherence 

 to an untenable theory. But victory complete and 

 demoralizing to his opponents awaited this oracular 

 utterance when later a disciple of Darwin, led by 

 the same spirit of faith and conviction, visited Mada- 

 gascar, and was soon able to affirm that he had caught 

 the moth, a huge sphinx-moth, and that its tongue 

 measured eleven inches in length. 



Here we see the prophecy of the existence of an 

 unknown moth, founded on the form of a blossom. 

 At that time the moth had not been actually seen 

 at work on the orchid, but who shall question for a 

 moment that had the flower been visited in its twi- 

 light or moonlight haunt the murmur of humming 

 wings about the blossom's throat would have at- 

 tested the presence of the flower's afftnity ; for with- 

 out the kiss of this identical moth the Angraecum 

 must become extinct. No other moth can fulfil the 



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