Al.M'HEMENTS OF ANIMALS FOR THE DISPERSION OF TOLLEN. 17] 



meadow Orchids [Orcliis mascula, militarit^. Moi'io, kc), are piorcod and sucked by 

 iiisccks, and it sliould be noted here that not only tlies, boos, and humble-bees, but 

 oven buttorllies are capable of boring into juicy tissue. Butterflies liave at the end 

 of their max.illa.ry laminaa which compose their proboscis, certain sharp-pointed 

 appendages with which they tirst rip up the .juicy tissue and then steal the 

 liquid. 



A special allurement to those insects which are accustomed to pierce and suck 

 juicy tissues is observed in species of .EremuriDf (E. altaicus, caucasicus, tauricuf:), 

 indigenous in Altai, Caucasus, and Taurus. These plants, which belong to the 

 Liliacea\ bear a raceme on a long rachis which elongates greatly during flowering. 

 When the iioAvor-buds open the petals are spread out flat, and surround the still 

 closed anthei"s like a six-i'ayod star. This only lasts for a short time. As soon as 

 the anthers dehisce and expose their sticky, orange-coloured pollen, the petals roll 

 tlieiuselves up, become shrivelled, and form a small dirty red-brown ball, from 

 which spring six thick greenish swellings. These swellings, which are really the 

 juicy \-eins of the under sides of the petals, resemble green aphides. The fly 

 Si/rphu^ piritfitri, which is known to seek for Aphides, p>ierces and sucks these 

 swelling-s, apparently mistaking them for the insects; at any rate they pierce the 

 rolled-up flowers of tJirmurufi just like Aphides, and, what is most wonderful 

 about the matter, they load themselves by this means with the jjoUen of the anthers 

 standing in front of the flower-, and con^•ey it to the stigmas of other flowei-s. 



We shall have to speaJc presently of plants whose flowers are onty open for a 

 day, a night, sometimes only a few houre. The pet«,ls of these plants have this 

 peculiarity, that when they wither they fall quickly, become discoloured, crumpled 

 or rolled up, and pulpy. Then the cell-sap exudes from the tissiie and covei-s 

 tlie surface with a thin layer of fluid. Pulpy piet.;\ls of this kind ai-e ^^sited by 

 insects, specially by flies, which lick up and suck the juice, and at the same time 

 cover tlie stigma with pollen brought fi-om other flowei-s. This is the case, for 

 example, in Calandrinia, Tradescantia. and ViUarsia. This proceeding is an 

 unconmion one, for the simple reason that the number of plants with such short- 

 lived flowea."s is very limited. 



On the other hand, the secretion of juices on the surfaces of fresh tissues of 

 rtowei-s that remain open several days is a widely-spread phenomenon, so that it is 

 perha^is not too much to say that this secretion occui-s in 90 per cent of flowei-s 

 visited by insects and humming-birds. The secreted juice contains more or less 

 sug-;u' and has a sweet tasta But along with tJie sugar there are also various other 

 ingredients in solution. Acconiing to the variable contents of these ingredients the 

 consistency, the colour, and the smell of the liquid of coui-se vary considerably. 

 Sometimes it is watery and colourless, while at other times it is a thick fluid and 

 brown like treacle. The dark liquid, as it is found in tlie tlowei-s of Melianthus, 

 has an unpleasant and even an oflensive odour. But in most eases the smell is 

 similar to that of bees" honey. For the most part this sweet sap is pmictically the 

 Siuue as honev. and this name is thei-efore now oiven to it by most botanists. 



