. Handbook of flower pollination : based upon Hermann Mu?ller's work 'The fertilisation of flowers by insects' . Fertilization of plants. *34 INTRODUCTION D. Deceptive Flowers (Fd). Parnassia palustris everywhere proves itself to be a Deceptive Fly Flower'. Sprengel (' Entd. Geh.,' p. 167) confesses that he finds the greatest difficulty in interpreting the ' five sap-producing arrangements, which in alternation with the stamens surround the pistil, and of which the structure is quite original and of its kind unique.' We are indebted for a solution of the problem to Hermann Miiller, who ('Alpen
. Handbook of flower pollination : based upon Hermann Mu?ller's work 'The fertilisation of flowers by insects' . Fertilization of plants. *34 INTRODUCTION D. Deceptive Flowers (Fd). Parnassia palustris everywhere proves itself to be a Deceptive Fly Flower'. Sprengel (' Entd. Geh.,' p. 167) confesses that he finds the greatest difficulty in interpreting the ' five sap-producing arrangements, which in alternation with the stamens surround the pistil, and of which the structure is quite original and of its kind unique.' We are indebted for a solution of the problem to Hermann Miiller, who ('Alpenblumen,' p. 112) writes somewhat as follows:—'The yellow balls at the end of the slender outgrowths from the staminodes resemble drops of fluid so completely that we are obliged to convince ourselves by a special test that they are not such, but that we have to deal with perfectly dry swellings. Parnassia palustris thus appears to hold up to the view of the " stupid flies " some fifty" drops of nectar visible from afar, by which they are strongly attracted. When they approach, how- ever, the flowers offer but a very modest booty of exposed nectar, in comparison to the prospect held out. In fact the " stupid flies," the Muscidae, are everywhere the chief visitors, for astuter insects perhaps allow themselves to be deceived once, but do not so readily return.' That this interpretation is the correct one, is shown by an observation of Hermann Miiller, jun., who, for a considerable time and from no great distance, watched a hover-fly (Eristalis nemorum), which is one of the more sagacious Diptera, while it attempted to lick these apparent drops, and it was only frightened away by the closer approach of the observer. Ophrys muscifera also appears to be a Deceptive Fly Flower. Its purple-brown velvety labellum, says Hermann Muller (Kosmos, ii, 1877, p. 335), with its pale-blue naked spot, seems exactly as if made to entice, by its colour, flies with a
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