124 
NATURE NOTES 
capturing them by a series of most ingenious and diversified 
devices. The grass-of-Parnassus deceives flies by mock drops 
of honey, but more mercifully makes no attempt to injure them 
when they have served its purpose. 
Then again, some plants mimic others. The white dead- 
nettle to which I have already referred is a familiar instance. It 
frequents waste ground and road sides, and seems to love the 
stinging nettle. The plants belong to quite different families, 
but the leaves and general habit are so similar, that from a little 
distance it is almost impossible to distinguish them unless the 
deadnettle is in flower. I can hardly doubt that the deadnettle 
is often spared from its similarity to the stinging nettle. 
Again, it is known that many flowers sleep. Why should 
they do so ? In animals we can understand it ; they are tired 
and require rest. But why should flowers sleep ? Why should 
some flowers do so, and not others ? Moreover, different flowers 
keep different hours. ' The daisy opens at sunrise and closes at 
sunset, whence its name the “ day’s eye.” The dandelion is 
said to open about seven, and I looked at some yesterday and 
found them asleep at a quarter to six ; A renaria rubra to be open 
from nine to three ; the white water-lily from about seven to 
four ; the common mouse-ear hawkweed {Hieracitim Pilosella) 
from eight to three ; the scarlet pimpernel {Anagallis arvensis) to 
waken at seven and close soon after two; Tragopogon pratensis to 
open at four in the morning and close just before twelve, whence 
its English name, “John go to bed at noon.” Farmers’ boys 
in some parts are said to regulate their dinner-time by it. Other 
flowers, on the contrary, open in the evening. 
Now, it is obvions that flowers which are fertilised by night- 
flying insects would derive no advantage from being open by 
day ; and on the other hand, that those which are fertilised by 
bees would gain nothing by being open at night. Nay it would 
be a distinct disadvantage, because it would render them liable, 
firstly, to be robbed of their honey and pollen by insects which 
are not capable of fertilising them, and secondly, to have the 
pollen injured, and the honey washed away by rain. 1 have 
suggested then, and it is now I think generally admitted, that 
the closing of flowers may have reference to the habits of insects; 
it may also be observed in support of this that wind-fertilised 
flowers do not smell and do not sleep ; that some of those flowers 
which attract insects by smell, emit their scent at particular 
hours ; and that night-opening flowers are as a rule white or 
light yellow. Thus, Hesperis maironalis and Lychnis vespertina 
smell in the evening, and Orchis bifolia is particularly sweet at 
night. The evening Lychnis is white, and the nearly allied day 
Lychnis is red. 
Let us take the history of one very common flower, the 
common dandelion. When it is in bud the flower-stalk is short 
and lies on the ground. When the flower is ready to open, the 
stalk raises itself perpendicularly. What we call a dandelion 
