, 1893-07-01

moth darteu aside, only to return, however,
as soon IS the children's hands were with
drawn. This was repeated several times,
until the moth, growing tired OF getting his
supper under prolonged difficulties, gave up
the attempt and went TO look for his meal
elsewhere. To be convinced that the moths
do visit the flowers in the way described it is
not necessary, however, to see them for
they quite commonly leave evidence OF their
presence in the form of a few scales from
their bodies or wings adherlng to the
stigma, which, for another purpose to be
mentioned presently, gives out and is covered
by a gnmmy liquid at the time of the moths
visit. How good of the flower not only to
supply the insect with food, but to show him
by that beautiful white ADVERTISING star, and
by the delightful perfume, where the sweet
food may be had Certainly, but good only
in the sense that the baker is good who
supplies us with bread and puts up a large
sign with Bakery upon it in order that We
may know where to procure it. TIL baker
and the hower are both alike serving them
selves in serving others. In the case Of the
baker this is not hard to understand, but to
some it may not be known, or even suspected,
that the hower Is serving itself in feed
ing the insect but if we look carefully into
the mater we shall see that it is nevertheless
true We shall find that the flower calls the
insect in order to get adefnite service render
ed to itself. 1tdoes get the service, and the in
scot gets the compensation. 10 see how this Is,
let us go back to the flower, and begin with
the ovary OF seed box at the lower end of the
flower tube. Cutting the ovary across near
the top, We see that it consists of three
chambers, in each Of which two pearly objects
spring up from the bottom these are the
Ovules or yonng seeds. Now, mp from the
ovary goes the long style ending i'll The
stigma above, the stigma being about on Il
level with the six long anthers that surround
it. If we examine the pollen or fower-dust
in these anthers we shall see that it looks
something like a multitude of orange colour
ed wheat grains. Simple as it looks, it is Of
a most complex character; for if one of
those grains lights on the stigma, the mois-
ture which it then meets sets it gro wing, and
out of this mjnute object there comes a
long tube which passes down among the
loose cells Of the long style, down, down, till
it reaches the hollow ovary and, having
reached this, the little tube makes it's way to
one of the little Ovules before mentioned
as growing from the bottom of the ovary.
After this has taken place the ovule will grow
into a seed, but if no such tube reached the
ovule from the anther, the ovule would
shrivle up and perish. The process is called
the fertilization of the ovules. But before
this can take place it is clear that there must
be some way of bringing the pollen sfrom the
auther to the stigma This transference of
the pollen from the anther to the stigma,
however it may be accomplished, is called
poIIination' Now in the case of the flower
under consideration how il this done? Il
mi9lr he done, as is actually the case In
souo flowers, by the anther being placed near
the stigma from the beginning and opening
against t: or it might be done, as is also the
casoin some flowers, by the stamens bending
over so as to bring the opened anther into
contact with the stigma, or, as again is the case
in some flowers, by the stigma bending over
to meet the anthels; again II might be
accomplished by the wind blowing the poll
len from the anthers on to the stigma, which
indeed is a very prevalent method. especially
with grasses. An examination of the flower
shows, however, that none of these modes are
followed. And now we begin to see why the
flower appeals to the moth for lhelp.
ITO be continued.