. Lessons in nature study. Nature study. THE BEE AND THE LUPINIt 55 To understaud this belter and appreciate the contrivances i;sed, have the class now examine the flowers closely. If it is the common blue-and-white lupine that is in hand, the parts of the corolla which show without opening the flower are as follows : The upper blue and white part, which is the signal flag to show the bee where the flower is. Below this is a boat-shaped part which is blue. If we gently press this down without touching what is within we find a whitish part tipped with a dark purple point. Now if this be pressed
. Lessons in nature study. Nature study. THE BEE AND THE LUPINIt 55 To understaud this belter and appreciate the contrivances i;sed, have the class now examine the flowers closely. If it is the common blue-and-white lupine that is in hand, the parts of the corolla which show without opening the flower are as follows : The upper blue and white part, which is the signal flag to show the bee where the flower is. Below this is a boat-shaped part which is blue. If we gently press this down without touching what is within we find a whitish part tipped with a dark purple point. Now if this be pressed down an orange mass of pollen comes out of the tip, then the stigma protrudes. If we take this covering entirely off we find that in it are included the ten stamens and the one stigma. A closer study of this covermg shows it to be in two parts lightly adhering at a part of their edges in such a way as to make a cone with a minute hole in the apex covering over stigma and anthers of the Fi^ 29. One s^ide •>( the covering as gtamCnS shown in Fig. ~S. removed, showing the arraugemenl of pistil and stamens. Five ^jj examination of the grOWth stamens have ripened and discharged their *= pollen, five other stamens behind these are pf i]^q flower in the bud sllOWS growing and crowdin^y the pollen m the .npex of the conical covering. that when the conical covering, which, by the way, is formed of two petals, forms, five of the stamens mature in the bud and the pollen comes off, making a mass of it. Then the other five stamens grow and crowd the mass of pollen forward into the cone. In the meantime the stamens and pistil grow into the curve they present. Two other petals grow around these in the boat- shaped form and conceal them and make the platform for the bee to light upon, and the other petal grows up to be the flag signal to attract the attention of the bee. Now the trap is complete. In many other flowers of much the same form the trap is baited with. Please note that these
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