Dandelions 43 
extended to touch the insect as he flits by, pollen 
freighted. But if no winged wayfarer comes along, 
the arms of the pistil bend downward still 
further, and as the flower grows older they curl 
backward like the horns of a ram (Fig. 4, c). 
Coiled up in this way the sticky inner surface 
of each little arm is brought into contact at several 
points with its outer surface. And on the outer 
surface there will probably be pollen-grains brought 
from other florets by the same enterprising insects 
which carried off the golden store of this one. 
So the Dandelion pistils help to gather pollen for 
themselves, and can supplement the good offices of 
flies and bees. 
The very first dandelions are apt to appear in 
the bleak days of early spring, which are not 
tempting to insect-rovers, so that they may receive 
no visitors at all. In that case the little florets 
make shift to do without them. The arms of the 
pistil when they curve downward will come into 
contact with the sweeping hairs still covered with 
the pollen from the anther-tube. And this will be 
turned to account to meet the needs of the case, 
for the dandelion floret can, at a pinch, set its seed 
by means of its own pollen. 
Many flowers, especially many spring flowers, 
