THE YOUNG 



zatiori of the flowers. Below tlie fringe 

 of liairs already mentioned there is a 

 ring of stamens surrounding the cen- 

 tral pillar ; a little further down is a 

 circle of abortive carpels, which, when 

 mature, become the bright scarlet 

 berries so attractive to birds in Autumn. 

 At first sight, nothing could seem 

 easier than for the essential pollen to 

 drop on tlie receptive stigmas below, 

 and so self-fertilization be accomplisli- 

 ed. But, as if to guard against such 

 a contingency, the flowers are protogy- 

 uotis, that is, the stigmas arrive at 

 I maturity and have ceased to be sus- 

 I ceptible of impregnation by the pollen, 

 I before the stamens, the pollen-pro- 

 j ducing bodies, in the same flower have 

 j sufficiently developed to emit their 

 ; pollen. Hence, it is obvious that the 

 I pollen, the fertilizing agent, must be 

 ' brought from some other flower at the 

 proper time. In the Arum (he stigmas 

 reach maturity almost immediately 

 after the spathe unfolds, during which 

 I time it is visited by swarms of insects. 

 ' As many as one hundred have been 

 observed rapped at one time in a 

 I single flower. These unwilling cap- 

 tives wliose exit is prevented by the 

 I blockade of hairs at the mouth of the 

 tube, having previously visitiul some 

 } other flower will have had their bodies 

 dusted with pollen, ami now roaming 

 about within the encircling walls of 

 their ])risc)ii they fccundalr the ripe 

 ; stigmas, and for (his service- to the 



NATURALIST. 219 



plant they are rewarded by a drop of 

 nectar, which is secreted at the base 

 of each ovary. In a few days the 

 stamens mature, the anthers open and 

 discharge their pollen, which covers 

 the bodies of the captives. The hairs 

 which have hitherto barred the road to 

 freedom now shrivel up, and the im- 

 prisoned "suspects" are liberated. 

 But as they have evidently not learned 

 wisdom by their incarceration, they 

 soon visit some adjacent flower and 

 the whole cycle is gone round again. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



AH coiumunications to be sent to J. E. Kohson, 15, 

 Nortligatc, Hurtlepool ; or to S. L. MosLEY Beau- 

 mont Park, Haddersfiekl. 



Subscriptions for Vol. III. are now due. 

 \Veekly numbers or monthly parts, 6s.; 

 with plain plates ; or 8s. with coloured 

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 to the Editors. 



EXCHANGE. 



Duplicates.— Bred imagines of P. yap^f, 

 P. brassiciv, V. ui'ticw, E. laucstris, and L. 

 diJymata ; imagines of E. cardamincs, C. pam- 

 phihis, L. icarus, II. protcus, P. chi, T. pro- 

 nuba, X. riirea, Z. filipcndiilu. Desiderata 

 numerous, larvse preferred to imagines. — 

 N. Prescott Decie (Miss), Bockleton 

 Court, Tenbury. 



NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS 



13oTANicAL DiAKV (coutinucd from Nat- 

 ural History Notes, page 147, No. 122). — 

 Lesser celandine tlowcrs {Hit nuueulusji curia) 

 Feb. I.) ; Coltsfoot flowers [ Tussilago far- 

 /uru), 19th ; ground Ivy [ytycta gkchoina), 



