'Blossom Hosts and Insect Guests 



ten-inch nectary, and there gratify his appetite, and 

 at the same time assist the defective flower in accom- 

 phshing its mission in Hfe. This particular blossom, 

 having now been crossed with a flower whose nec- 

 tary was unusually long, its seed vv^ill probably pro- 

 duce blossoms of the average length. 



Our knowledge of the workings of natural selec- 

 tion is too limited for us to lay down hard and fast 

 rules regarding it. All that we can say is that the 

 tendencies are in certain directions. Natural selec- 

 tion works only on the broadest lines and over 

 long periods of time. 



NA T URE'S FR UGALIT Y 



It is quite possible that in many of the variations 

 we note, we see the beginning of a new species. 

 To put it concretel}^ if the Angraecum produced 

 many blossoms with six-inch nectaries, they might 

 serve to feed some species of moth with a tongue of 

 that length, which, in return, would transfer their 

 pollen. Should this be true, Nature, in all proba- 

 bility, would begin to adapt them to each other. It 

 would be wasteful to destroy, or rather eliminate, 

 any plant life that was worthy to exist ; and Nature 

 is always frugal. 



In all this complicated flower machinery, we find 

 nothing unnecessary, If fragrance is a sufficient 



34 



