Marriage amoxc; thk Clovkrs 117 



theless, as you may observe in No. 12, the hairs 



do not seriously j^et in the way of the bee durinj^ 



the stage when the flowers p.re just fit for ferti- 



hsation. As soon as tl.e bee has left the plant, 



however, soniethinj^ happens which is quiie different 



to the turning down of the 



florets in Dutch clover. 



The calyx or little cup which 



encloses each separate 



flower begins to swell and 



inflate itself like a balloon 



or bladder. In No. 13 you 



can see the beginnings of 



this curious process ; each 



calyx is sliglitly swelling 



round the tiny pod which it 



encloses. In Dutch clover, 



the pod is longer than the 



calyx, and the plant trusts 



for protection to the papery 



petals or corolla. But in 



strawberry clover, the calyx, 



after flowering, becomes 



vei\ nnich inflated, thin, 



and netted ; and in this ^,,. ,4._sika\vkkkry ci.ovkr, 



state it completely encloses a(;ain an (ji.u maid. 



the growing pod. No. 14 



illustrates an intermediate stage in the process, 



with a solitary old maid still unfertilised, and the 



other flowers larger and more inflated. In No. 15 



the inflation is complete : each little calyx has now 



swelled out into a small ball(n)n, enclosing its pod. 



