"Blossom Hosts and Insect Guests 



now must needs insert its head to the utmost into 

 the opening of the flower. This would insure its 

 fertiHzation by the pollen on the insect's tongue ; 

 and even though the sipper failed to reach the 

 nectar, the pollen would be withdrawn upon the 

 tongue, to be carried to other flowers, which might 

 thus be expected to inherit from the paternal side 

 the tendency to the longer nectary. The tendency 

 toward the perpetuation of the short nectary is 

 therefore stopped, while that of the longer nectary 

 is insured. 



The Angrsecum is only one of a family of plants 

 numbering some thousands of known species, and 

 yet nearly all of them would be doomed to extinc- 

 tion were it not for their legion of insect, butterfly 

 and humming-bird friends and companions. 



NA TURE'S TOLERANCE 



Because of the law of the " survival of the fittest," 

 Dame Nature has gained the reputation of being 

 cruel ; but when you have studied her ways closely, 

 you will find that she is really very tolerant. She 

 does not approve of close or self-fertilization, yet 

 often permits plants to retain this power as a last 

 resort, as in the case of the dandelion. If insects 

 fail to fertilize this blossom, it gradually separates 

 and curls back on its stem, thus bringing the inside 



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