Flowers. 



199 



Fig. 117. 

 Photomicrograph of the head 

 and fore part of the body of 

 Fig 116 ^ Pronuba moth, showing the 



Figure pronuba moth gath- '""^ue and maxillary tentacles 



ering pollen. ^"I'f ^ """^T \"T ^^ P°"? 

 After Riley beneath the head. X 6. 



the stamens (see Fig. ii8) and thrusts a slender ovipositor 



through the wall of the ovary and into the cavity occupied 



by the ovules. 



Having deposited 



an egg, it ascends the 



pistil, and by means 



of the maxillary ten- 

 tacles and tongue, 



which at other times 



are coiled around the 



load of pollen, as seen 



in Fig. 117, it rubs 



pollen down the inner 



surface of the stig- 



matic tube. 



119 is a flashhght 



photograph of a moth 



performing this act. The moth then descends the pistil, and 



standing between another 

 pair of stamens it deposits 

 another egg within the 

 ovary ; then it ascends the 

 pistil and rubs pollen on 

 the stigmatic surface as be- 

 fore. This process is re- 

 peated until it may be that 

 each of the six lines of 

 ovules is provided with an 

 egg, and the process of pol- 

 lination has been as many 

 ^'°- ^^^- times accomplished. 



Pronuba moth depositing its eggs in the -pjjg f^J] meaning of this 



ovary of a yucca flower. Flashlight j r 1 • r 



Dhotograph taken about 8.30 P.M. wonderful scries of opcra- 



