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The Museum Gazette 



liberated from it one by one as the shoot grows upwards, 

 carrying with it its perfectly detached cap. The spring shoot 

 of a Nordmann pine may attain a height of six inches before 

 it loses its cap. 



POLLINIA WHICH TRAVEL. 



The pollinia of the Bee orchis are most interesting struc- 

 tures. An oval mass of gold is mounted upon a long slender 

 thread, like anther and filament. The filament is often very 

 long, so long as to allow x>f the two, having approached, 

 twining round each other. Many parts in an orchis show 

 a tendency to twist, and now and then these filaments 

 even accomplish two turns. The whole pollinium is very 

 loosely attached, and when ripe is very prone to be broken 

 off. When so broken its end is very sticky and will glue 

 itself upon anything which it touches. Thus the bee or 

 moth thrusting its head into the flower often carries away 

 the pollinia like horns fixed to its head. If fully blown 

 flowers are put into the vasculum with others, the pollinia 

 of the Bee may be found sticking to the petals or leaves 

 of others. They usually travel in pairs, and they adhere 

 with great firmness. The pollinia of others of the orchis 

 tribe are also prone to detach themselves and travel. 



It is perhaps desirable to explain that a pollinium is not 

 exactly a stamen, although it looks much like one. It is part 

 of a divided anther, the filament of which has undergone 

 modification and become united to the style and thus lost. 



