266 Scott-Elliot . — - Ornithophilous Flowers 
spur, which comes so far upwards in front that it meets the 
extremities of the petals. These latter are bent forwards at 
right angles to the flower axis and converge to a point just 
covered by the anterior border of the lowest sepal They are 
united laterally (the lower pair in front also), and hence aid in 
preventing insect visits from the side l 
The honey-secreting disc does not surround the essential 
organs, but is only developed between the bases of the lower 
pair of stamens. It is very large and cup-shaped, having 
almost the same shape as the sepaline spur in which it lies, 
and to which it is united behind and for about a line in front. 
It secretes an abundance of rich black honey, which sometimes 
almost fills the cup. The only entrance to this honey is from 
above, through the horizontal arch formed by the petals. 
The flower is protandrous, and shows three distinct stages. 
In the bud the four stamens surround the style, with the 
anthers introrse ; but just before dehiscence the superior pair 
of stamens elongate till their anthers are just below the 
superior sepals, at the same time twisting so that the de- 
hiscing anthers have their faces turned downwards. 
In the second stage the same process occurs with the lower 
pair of stamens, but the elongation is not so great (see Fig. 2). 
In the third stage the anthers are carried outside the flower 
by a continuation of the twisting process (through another 
90°, see Fig. 3), while the style elongates and bends forwards ; 
the minute stigmatic lips also enclose. 
I saw the birds (Nectarinia chalybed) at work at Duiker 
Vlei, near Cape Town. They seize the peduncle below the 
lowest flowers and hop upwards. This is almost invariably 
their habit with all flowers, and the protandry in this case 
leads to their cross-fertilising different plants. They let me 
approach within ten yards, and I could see them, while cling- 
ing to the peduncle, take the range of the upright flowers and 
dip their beaks into the spurs, thus covering the head feathers 
1 The petals have small reflexed extremities. These are covered with hairs, 
and would perplex any small insects crawling into the flowers. 
