152 THE OPEN BOOK OF NATURE 
tween your lips ; do you not notice the sweet taste ? 
When the insect-visitor gets its honey, it also gets 
dusted with pollen, which it carries away to another 
flower, and, in searching for honey in it, some of the 
pollen reaches the stigma, and in due time fertilizes 
the ovules. The Labiate family are easily recog- 
nized by their peculiar flowers and their square 
stems. Many of the species are very fragrant. 
Lavender yields a fine perfume, and the various 
species of Mint are members of the Order. Let me 
point out that the Dead Nettles are not near rela- 
tions of the Stinging Nettle. This plant belongs to 
a different Sub-class—Monochlamydea—and the 
Order Urticacez. 
Two species of Stinging Nettle arecommon with us: 
the first is the Great Nettle (Urtica dioica), which is 
too well known to need a full description, although 
I ought to ask you to notice its long, branched 
clusters of small flowers; the second is the Lesser 
Stinging Nettle (Urtica urens), whichis a smaller plant, 
having shorter leaves and short flower clusters. Its 
sting, however, is no less irritating than that of its 
bigger brother. The name “ Urtica”’ comes from 
the Latin wro=to burn, and if you have ever been 
stung by nettles, I am sure you will think it is a 
good name. I was once pitched by a donkey into 
a big clump of nettles, and for a few hours I thought 
my face and hands were on fire. Ammonia kills 
a nettle-sting, and it is claimed that the juice of the 
common dock is also an antidote. I have tried it 
myself, and think there is something in the claim. 
Some East Indian species of nettles have most 
vicious stinging powers, and there is a Java species 
