How the Bee Orchis Constructs its Bee 303 



and backwards of the borders of the petal, and thus throwing 

 upwards what is to form the back of the insect. The last 

 achievement is to get rid of a long yellow, tail-like appendage 

 which is the lowest part of the flower's lip — in Mr. Babing- 

 ton's language, the terminal. This is made to curl itself up, 

 like a dog's tail between his haunches, until it quite disappears 

 and leaves the lower border rounded and plump. Look 

 under the flower and you will see the whole trick. There 

 is the yellow tail quite concealed from the front view, and 

 there are the two side lobes, " intermediate and truncate," 

 bent backwards under the bee and concealed. It is now as 

 if the whole dog, legs as well as tail, were folded up, and 

 only a rounded back left to be seen. A child might easily 

 with a piece of tissue paper cut out the flower in its first 

 state and then show hew the folding is effected. The natural 

 process may be traced in all its steps by looking at young 

 flowers, but unfortunately, only those who live in chalk 

 districts have any chance of obtaining a sufficient number 

 of specimens. 



It will be asked with interest, what, after all, is the gain to 

 the flower which rewards the trouble taken in order to make 

 itself look like a bee ? One suggestion is that the deception 

 prevents cattle and sheep from eating it, but the weak point 

 in this is, that the rest of the orchis tribe dispense with 

 protection against this risk. A more plausible creed is that 

 for some reason the visits of the real bee are not desirable, 

 and thus the flower makes pretence of being already occupied, 

 much as a too attractive maiden might by possibility put on 

 an engagement ring in order to keep admirers at a distance. 



