G6 



47. Bees and Flowers. — I find that the behaviour of bees is gov- 

 erned by circumstances. When flowers are abundant they visit 

 those only which they prefer, at other times they examine any thing 

 which comes in their way. I have seen honey bees attack the vine- 

 yard ; though, as a general thing, it would be safe to say they would 

 not eat grapes. 



At the time I am writing, May i8th, there is a dearth of garden 

 flowers. Those of the early spring are gone, and the later ones are n.ot 

 well forward. But Aquilegiae in many species are in bloom. The 

 humble-bee bores the ends of the nectaries, and sucks the honey 

 stored there ; and the honey-bee follows and sucks from the same 

 hole what may be left, or what may be afterwards generated from 

 the honey gland. I have often watched closely to learn whether the 

 honey-bee bored for honey. Its quick motions are unfavorable to 

 correct observation. I thought once I had caught it boring lilac 

 flowers, but I afterwards counted all the flowers that had been bored 

 by the humble bee, and then watched the work of the honey bee on 

 the cluster, and there were no more bored afterwards than before. 

 The Aquilegiae with curved nectaries, such as A. vulgaris and A. 

 OlympicdT'diQ very favorable for observation, as the slit is made on 

 the upper side of the curve, and the honey-bee can be easily seen 

 following after the crumbs that have been left on the strong one's 

 table. I have no doubt, however, it would bore for itself if it had 

 the power, and it perhaps sometimes does. The humble-bee and the 

 honey-bee are evidently not the insects for which the Aqidlegia had 

 this beautifully contrived nectar cup provided to induce cross-fertili- 

 zation, and what particular insect was designed to be the favored one, 

 so that It and no other could turn its tongue around these twisted 

 spurs to get at the honey in the end, I think no student has dis- 

 *^overed. Thomas Meehan. 



48. Notes on the behavior of Fig trees after an unusually 



severe winter in Syria — The last winter was one of rare severity 

 m Syria. Ice formed a quarter of an inch thick in Beirut. Snow 

 tell to the depth of several inches. Such phenomena had not occur- 

 red for twenty years. As a result of this extraordinary cold, many 

 fig trees in the mountains died and the growth of the fig orchards 

 of the plain was seriously checked. 



The fig tree usually puts forth its bud, which is an inverted torus 

 lined with apetalous flowers, at ttie time of the first appearance of 

 the young leaves. In fact, the fruit bud is a little in advance of the 

 young leaves. It was this circumstance which caused the curse on 

 the barren fig tree, which had leaves but no figs A fia tree with 



frost checked and destroyed the fruit buds which ought to have ap- 

 peared early in March. On a tree in my garden which usually pro- 

 duces hundreds there were about a dozen. The leaves, however, 

 unfoded somewhat later than usual, and the scattered early figs 

 which had escaped the frost developed with them. A month later 



l^ltl S'r"^- f "T•^ ^^ ''^' ^^^^^^' ^"'i ^^'^' t^^^ ^^^ly figs had 

 attained the size of a hickory nut, the branches were covered with a 



