480 BOTANY. 
the anthers together no doubt facilitate this, as they do in Pedic- 
ularis, by keeping the stamens from separating. The large size 
of the stigmatic surface will of course increase the chance that 
any insect with pollen on its proboscis or back will not fail to 
leave some grains attached to it as he works his way towards the 
bottom of the flower. 
But what purpose does the sensitiveness serve? To prevent 
the stigma being fertilized by its own pollen by insect agency. 
Without this sensitiveness why should not an insect covered with 
the pollen of the shorter and synacmic stamens leave the pollen 
on the stigma of the same plant as he backs his way out? Given 
the sensitiveness, this is impossible, for as the insect passes under 
the stigma the sensitive motion is excited, and while he is drink- 
ing the honey time is allowed for its completion, or if it be not 
completed in time, the mechanical effect of the backing motion of 
the insect will be to complete the closing. __ 
A similar use of a quite different movement has been suggested 
to me by Miss S. S. Dowson, one of my Cambridge corresponding 
class. The Achimenes (Gesneracee) has a tubular corolla five- 
cleft with a swelling just below the top of the throat. There are 
four perfect stamens, not much differing in length, and the stigma 
is ultimately two-cleft. In the bud the pistil is much shorter than 
the stamens, but by the time the bud is just opened it has length- 
ened out between the stamens, and its tip is adpressed to the 
upper lip of the corolla. As yet the stigma has its two branches 
closely folded together. The anthers at this time are all four 
close beneath the end of the pistil, and open downwards. The 
filaments then begin to contract, and the anthers, which adhere 
together, are drawn lower; and finally the filaments twist them- 
selves up to such a degree that the anthers are drawn down to the 
very base of the tube. The object of this is clearly to get them 
out of the way of the stigma, for during the process the pistil has 
arched forwards and downwards, and the two branches of the 
stigma have opened. They will be seen to form a fork over 3 
slight rising in the middle lip of the corolla, by which entrance to 
the flower, except exactly under the stigmatic surfaces, is pre- 
vented.— F. E. Kircnener in Trimen’s Journal of Botany. 
NARDOSMIA PALMATA.— Looking over the NATURALIST for April, 
- 1872, I find this plant mentioned by Prof. Tenney, as occurring 1? 
