No sooner said than done, though it doubtless took many centuries to get the plan in thorough working order. It was a new departure in the plant world and led to various revolutionary changes. In all probability, there were no bright-hued flowers before the advent of pollen-eating insects. In the beginning, at least, flowers were developed as the signs by which plants advertised their wares. “We will make ourselves luringly attractive,” reasoned the plants. “We will add to our bright-coloured petals the sweet delights of nectar and honey. While the insect is eating at our table, we will shower his back with pollen and, going forth to some floral neighbour, he will unwittingly become the marriage priest of our race.” This was the idea, and in many diverse and wonderful ways the plants have carried it out. The first flowers were developed by training certain stamens to flatten and expand themselves, daub their surfaces with colour, and so become petals. This evolutionary fact can be seen today in the white Water Lily, where concentric rows of stamens gradually merge into petals. Double Roses and Poppies are examples of the same thing. The formation of flowers was only the first step. It is not enough to get the insect to come to the plant. Once he is there, means must be found to make sure that he performs the marriage duties assigned to him. Each flower takes care of this problem in a different way. At ordinary times, the Gorse is a closed flower, provided, however, with a little step or platform on which a Bee can alight. As soon as an industrious honey-seeker has settled down on this little floral porch, his pressure causes the entire corolla of the flower to spring violently open and shower him with pollen. A Gorse flower which has thus unburdened itself at once hangs down dejectedly and is no longer the object of insect regard. The Lupine and the English Bird’s-Foot Trefoil entertain their tiny visitors in a similiar way. There are two different arrangements of sexual organs in the Primrose. One variety is provided with long stamens and a short pistil. The other has the reverse combination of short stamens and a long pistil. In both cases, the nectar is in a pit at the bottom of the flower. As long as an insect visits short-stamened flowers, he collects pollen on the upper part of his proboscis. Happening to enter a short-pistiled flower, this portion of his drinking tube is now opposite the female organ and fertilizes it. In the same way, the insect’s feet gather pollen from the long-stamened flowers and deposit it in the long-pistiled variety. By such involved methods does this particular flower make sure of fertilization. Sage flowers have only two stamens but they do the work of forty. Using their power of movement, they bend forward and deliberately embrace a bee as soon as he enters their chamber. They do not release him until he is covered with their yellow pollen.