The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-05-11
BAD EFFECTS OF FLOWERS.
Many Intoxicnte Insects and Murder
innocent Birds

lFrou the London News)
At the London Institution Prof W b
EottomIeys second lecture on towers
dealt with their insect visitors
The professor began by explaining that
the shapes of flowers determine now the
pollen shall be carried from one to the
sticky part above the seed box Of another
The carrying of the pollen was nothing
less than the marrying of the flowers. and
the insect that carried the pollen was the
parsou- Among flower parsons there was
as much difference as among human par
sons Dusky little gnats were the Gu
rates; brilliant butterflies were archbish-
ops Flower parsons, like human par
sons wanted fees. The Euat was content
with a little bit of pollen. hut the archie
piscopal butterfly and the bee bishop de-
nanGtd special nectar.
Among human beings near relatives
must not MARI. and it was the same
among flowers. In the butteTcup, the
bait or fee was in little glands at the
base Of the petals, and flowers of that
character could be married by many sorts
of insect parsons with short proboScIdes
in mCnkShOod and other flowers the honey
was SeCTeted in cavities out of reach Of
ordinary flies. and only a highly organ
The markings Of the nasturuum, the yell
low hairs at the base Of the peTianth
leaves of the isis. and the lines il the
throat OF the violet were simply signs or
directions indicating to the insect exact
y where he would find the honey in or
ChidS and other flowers there We're plat
ting the nectar ATistolochia We're ike
lobster pots. the interior Of the tube being
furnished with hairs pointing inward, so
that an insect could go in quite easily,
though how to get out again was quite
another story.
Last Friday [ appear to have greatly
shocked the representative of the Daily
News, and this evening l am going to
try and shock him more. The reporter
wrote that I had said: Flowers nut on
gorgeous hueS to attract insects just as
rTrF- J. rTe1N of fro. s,AT .r47Ff ion sT
bright dresses and now listen to what
the Daily News remarked Poets have
said many pretty things about the petals
Of 2 flower. One even likened a young
Iady's nose to this dainty object of ma
tUre Laughter Prof. Bottomley gives
US a more proSaic view of their purpose.
They are. it seems. simply advertise
ments Signifying to insects Nectar kept
here. Please enter" They might be lik
ened, he said, to the signs outside public
houses -
There were flowers. the ar7lrns In par
tiCulaT-COntinued the pTOfeSsOT-that de-
HberateIy made flies tipsy- Laughter
Flies found sweet drops of honey upon
the green surface, and fuTther on they
found SWeeter drops. The liquor became
stronger. Not quite knowing what they
were doing, the insects went through
the t'iObSter-pOt' hairs, and in the inner
chamber they found extra-special
strong champagne. with the result that
the wretChed little creatures tumbled
about and knocked their heads against
the sticky surface Of the seed box But
when tn visitors had in their drunken
ness done what was REQUIRED of them,
the 'lObSter-pot'' hairs witheTed and 50
left open the door But, alas for the
depTavity of the insects Recovering their
senses in the fresh air. they saw other
arum public houses, ana, not having
learned wisdom from their drunken bout,
in they went for another spree a hush
Of panied surprised
But" Bishop BOttomley went on, a
stiU lower depth Of depTavity is reached
by the arum, which is one Of the most
immoral plants you can imagine" Recall
but the bunch of red beTries-each con-
tanning matured seed-On q stem. he
explained that this time the bright color
was q trick to attract other creatures
than Insects Alas how treacherOus was
the arum. IT was anxious to have the
seeds placed in suitable soil, so, well
knowing that the berries were poisonous
il induced birds to eat them, whereupon
each unsuspicious little sOngstcr died,
and his body became small heap Of de
cayed matteT-excellent soil and manure
for the arum seed in the centre
Later the audience learned Of the Won
derfuI structure Of orchids. and of how
insect visitors had footstoOls to stand on
windows, Of how, in entering apertureS.
they impatiently knocked aside little OBJ
stTuCting knobs. and thereby all unknow-
ingly moved a lever that flung pollen on
their Backs. and OF hOw-but space does
not allow Of further allUsiCn TO discover
les with which-aS Prof BOJtOmley re-
marked before wishing his audience
Happy New Year-the name of Charles
Darwin Will forever be associated