102 



FIRST STUDIES IN PLANT LIFE 



get on with fewer anthers than it needed at some far- 

 past time. 



3. How the stamens differ. Notice that two of 

 the stamens are shorter than the others ; that these 

 two short stamens always have pollen-cases ; and that 

 they are always opposite to the honey-tube. What 

 does this mean ? It means that when the insect 

 pushes its sucker down into the honey-tube it cannot 

 help touching the pollen-cases on these two short 



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71 A and B. The anthers and pistil of the scarlet 

 geranium. 



stamens. It may escape the pollen on the tall stamens, 

 but not the pollen on these short stamens. Nor is 

 this all. The third anther, as we go up, is midway 

 between the short stamens and the long ones, and 

 thus the flower has three chances of dusting the insect 

 with pollen ; first, with the tallest anthers, second, 

 with the middle anther, and third with the lowest 

 anthers. Even now we have not seen the whole of 

 the plan for dusting the insect with pollen ; for if you 

 take a riper flower that has the pollen-cases open, you 

 will see that the pollen is always shed towards the 



