EXCLUSION OF ANTS FROM FLOWERS. 51 
tageous. Moreover, if larger flowers were visited Dy 
ants, not only would they deprive the flowers of their 
honey without fulfilling any useful function in return, 
but they would probably prevent the really useful 
visits of bees. If you touch an ant with a needle or a 
bristle, she is almost sure to seize it in her jaws; and 
if bees, when visiting any particular plant, were liable 
to have the delicate tip of their proboscis seized en by 
the horny jaws of an ant, we may be sure that such a 
species of plant would soon cease to be visited. On 
the other hand, we know how fond ants are of honey, 
and how zealously and unremittingly they search for 
food. How is it then that they do not anticipate the 
bees, and secure the honey for themselves? This is 
guarded against in several ways. 
Belt appears to have been the first naturalist to 
call attention to this interesting subject. 
‘ Many flowers,’ he says,! ‘ have contrivances for pre< 
venting useless insects from obtaining access to the 
nectaries. 
‘Great attention has of late years been paid by 
naturalists to the wonderful contrivances amongst 
flowers to secure cross fertilisation, but the struc- 
ture of many cannot, I believe, be understood, unless 
we take into consideration not only the beautiful adap- 
tations for securing the services of the proper insect or 
1 The Naturalist in Nicaragua. By Thos, Belt, F.G.S,, pp. 131 
and 133. 
