POLLINATING AGENTS 



tsl 



they are overtaken by darkness while still at work. It 

 is usually the smaller insects that seek shelter for the 

 night in flowers and inflorescences. 



A remarkable instance of relation between flowers 

 and insects is found between Ficus Carica (fig. I07) 

 and certain wasps. The jug-shaped inflorescence 

 contains male flowers at the mouth and female flowers 



Fig. 107 



I, Excavated capitulum of Ficus Carica full of gall-flowers produced by Blasio- 

 phaga, cut through longitudinally; near the mouth of the cavity is a Fig-wasp 

 (Blastophaga grossorttm) which has escaped from one of the galls. 2, Do., full of 

 female flowers, cut through longitudinally ; near the mouth of the cavity are two Fig- 

 wasps, one of which has already crept into the cavity whilst the second is about to do 

 so. 3, Male-flower. 4, Long-styled female flower. 5, Gall produced from a short- 

 styled gall-flower, i, 2, Nat. size. 3, 4, X 5. 5, X 8. 



deeper down. These latter are either long-styled or 

 short-styled. The female wasp creeps through the 

 mouth of the flask into the interior, and lays an egg 

 near the nucellus of an ovule by sinking the ovipositor 

 perpendicularly through the style-canal of a short- 

 styled female flower. From the egg a larva develops, 

 which feeds upon the surrounding tissue, and grows 

 rapidly, filling the ovary and destroying the ovule. 

 The ovary then becomes a gall. The larva soon 



