'Blossom Hosts and Insect Guests 



The nectary now drained of its sweets, the moth 

 creeps or flutters to a second blossom, and its 

 pollen-dusted body thus coming in contact with 

 its stigma, cross-fertilization is accomplished. The 

 pollen of the laurel differs from that of most of the 

 Heath blooms, its grains being more or less adher- 

 ent by a cobwebby connective which permeates the 

 mass as indicated in my magnified representation, 

 B, Fig. 2. 



It is probable that an accessory cross-fertilization 

 frequently results from a mass of the pollen falling 

 directly upon the stigma of a neighboring blossom, 

 or even upon its own stigma ; but even in the latter 

 case, as has been absolutely demonstrated as a gen- 

 eral law by the experiments of Darwin, the pollen 

 from a separate flower is almost invariably prepo- 

 tent, and leads to the most perfect fruition, and 

 thus to the survival of the fittest — the cross-fertil- 

 ized. And, in any event, the insect is to be cred- 

 ited for the release of the tiny catapults by which 

 the pollen is discharged. 



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