6o 



HARDWICKE' S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



the calyx and additionally protected by the hairs 

 upon the filaments. In the fertile flower (Fig. 46) 

 the bases of the aborted stamens form the nectaries 

 and appear as white glands between the bases of the 

 petal claws ; they look something like a disk, but 



with its beautiful comblike scales that look like 

 independent nectaries, but possibly the flower had 

 originally ten stamens, five of which have been 

 changed to serve another purpose. The honey is 

 secreted in two shallow pits on the inner faces of the 









/ II 





r 















Fig- 45.— Do. of Lychnis dioka, (J . 



Fig. 



TV 



. — Do. of L. dioica, 2. 



Fig. 44.— Nectaries of Herb Robert. 



Fig. 47. — Do. of Monkshood. 



Fig. 48. — Do. of Dog's Mercury. Fig. 49. --Do. of Erica tctralix. 



Fig. 50. — Do. of Erica cin 



Fig. 52. — Do. of Foxglove. 



Fig. 51. — Do. of Snapdragon. 



are really the aborted stamens. Nor in this con- 

 nection must the nectaries of Mercurialis pere/inis 

 be forgotten, since they are formed by the two 

 otherwise useless stamens of the fertile flower, a 

 drop of honey taking the place of the anther. It is 

 difficult to know where to place Parnassia palustris 



scales (Fig. 35), and their delicate filaments do not, 

 as some have supposed, display drops of sham honey 

 to delude insects — a supposition worthy of this age of 

 shams, — but from an [ornamental; grille to prevent 

 them from reaching the honey without alighting in 

 the centre of the flower. 



