228 THE FAIRY-LAND OF SCIENCE. 
which open by night, and in these they would be useless, 
for the insects would not see them. 
When the geranium first opens, all its ten stamens 
are lying flat on the corolla or coloured crown, as in 
the left-hand flower in Fig. 62, and then the bee can- 
not get at the honey. 
But in a short time 
five stamens begin to 
raise themselves and 
cling round the stig- 
ma or knob at the top 
of the seed-vessel, as 
in the middle flower. 
Now you would think 
they would leave their 
dust there. But no ! 
the stigma is closed 
up so tight that the 
dust cannot get on to 
the sticky part. Now, 
FIG. 62.-G*ra*ium sylvaticum, the however> the bee can 
Wood Geranium. In the left- 
hand flower the stamens are all S et at the hone y- 
lying down. In the middle glands on the outside 
flower five stamens clasp the of the raised stamens ; 
stigma. In the right - hand and ag he sucks ^ hig 
flower the stigma is open after 11 i j.i 
, back touches the an- 
all the stamens have fallen. 
thers or dust-bags, 
and he carries off the pollen. Then, as soon as all 
the dust is gone, these five stamens fall down, and the 
other five spring up. Still, however, the stigma re- 
mains closed, and the pollen of these stamens, too, 
may be carried away to another flower. At last these 
