ost perfect fruition, and thus
to the survival of the fittest--the cross-fertilized. And, in any event,
the insect is to be credited for the release of the tiny catapults by
which the pollen is discharged. But the laurel may be considered as an
exceptional example of the Heath family. Let us look at a more perfect
type of the order to which it belongs, the globular blossom of the
Andromeda (_A. ligustrina_).

[Illustration]

Only a short walk from my studio door in the country I recently observed
its singular reception to the tiny black-and-white banded bee, which
seems to be its especial companion, none the less constant and forgiving
in spite of a hospitality which, from the human stand-point, would
certainly seem rather discouraging. Fancy a morning call upon your
particular friend. You knock at the door, and are immediately greeted at
the threshold with a quart of sulphur thrown into your face. Yet this is
precisely the experience of this patient little insect, which manifests
no disposition to retaliate with the concealed weapon which on much less
provocation he is quick to employ. Here he comes, eager for the fray.
He alights upon one of the tiny bells scarce half the size of his body.
Creeping down beneath it, he inserts his tongue into the narrowed
opening. Instantly a copious shower of dust is poured down upon his face
and body. But he has been used to it all his life, and by heredity he
knows that this is Andromeda's peculiar whim, and is content to humor it
for the sweet recompense which she bestows. The nectar drained, the
insect, as dusty as a miller, visits another flower, but before he
enters must of necessity first pay his toll of pollen to the drooping
stigma which barely protrudes beneath the blossom's throat, and the
expectant seed-pod above welcomes the good tidings with visions of
fruition.

[Illustration: Fig. 6]

And how beautiful is the minute mechanical adaptation by which this end
is accomplished! This species of Andromeda is a shrub of about four feet
in height, its blossoms being borne in close panicled clusters at the
summit of the branches. The individual flower is hardly more than an
eighth of an inch in diameter. From one of three blossoms I made the
accompanying series of three sectional drawings (Fig. 6). The first
shows the remarkable interior arrangement of the ten stamens surrounding
the pistil. The second presents a sectional view of these stamens,
showing their peculiar S-shap