124 
lower members of the raceme. Their locality, however, is marked by 
small rings (Fig. 3) slightly raised above the flat surface formed by the 
end of the axis. While the lower flowers of the raceme are in blos- 
som the rings representing the points of attachment of the upper 
flowers are exuding a kind of honey. It is necessary to mention, 
however, that only one or two of these rings seem to yield honey at 
the same time. This flow^s quite freely, and when removed by my 
hand was usually replaced in less than two or three minutes. The 
honey-glands, being extra floral, seem to take no part in any adapta- 
tion for cross fertilization, but they are abundantly visited by ants. 
Several plants growing in my garden are almost covered with them. 
There are ants going up and down the vines. Every panicle on the 
entire plant has one or more insect visitors upon it. Some pani- 
cles have seven or eight ants upon them, one to every gland in full 
operation. Ants are usually supposed to be beneficial to plants of 
this kind by warding off the insect enemies to which they may be 
subject. 
It may be noted in connection with this that my plants are 
r- 
free from insects before the period of honey secretion, as well as afte 
wards; still, any insects trying to get at the flowers during their period 
of blossoming would find themselves in rather an uncomfortable 
Fio.S 
o 
Fi&.l 
The 
the 
position and would be efl^ectually crawled over by the ants, 
flowers, after anthesis, wither and fall off at a joint between 
flower and pedicel. The pedicel falls of later at a joint next the axis 
of the raceme. A very remarkable discovery to me, however, was 
the fact that the ends of the panicle, together with the raceme that 
belongs to them, never mature. The entire panicle appears perfectly 
healthy until a short time before anthesis, then the ends of the panicles 
(Fig. 4) suddenly wither and fall off at a clean-cut joint, hence all p^/^^' 
cles in thefloiDering state are really truncated. The end of the panicle 
shown in Fig. 4 had thirteen racemes upon it, each with its three 
flowers and truncated axis; the very summit of the panicle I forgot 
to examine. -It was a curious sight- to see panicle after panicle lose 
its end without any special reason for such an operation that I coulu 
discover. The pedicels of the flowers, in dropping off, leave a circu- 
lar scar (Fig. 2 d) similar to those left by the aborted flowers.^ I J^ 
latter are arranged " spirally " on the truncated end of the axis. I^ 
the specimen figured (Fig. 3) the spiral turned toward the right, ana 
the sixth pit or ring stood next to the first. The first two or three 
of these rings are the honey producers. The three developed flowers 
