HA RD WICKE'S SCIENCE- G OSSIP. 



45 



Bees and Flowers.— On Saturday morning, 

 August 14th, 1SS6, while watching the bees in the 

 garden, I saw a bee fly from a flower of the tea-tree 

 {Lyrium barbatum), to a bed of flowers consisting 

 mostly of Antirrhinum majus. The most remark- 

 able fact was that, after opening the flower, the bee 

 at once turned over upon its back, so that the abdo- 

 men came in contact with the anthers. This insect 

 was evidently collecting pollen, having called at the 

 tea-tree for a sip on the way. This was an admirable 

 method for collecting pollen, the only drawback 

 being the difficulty experienced when] the bee wished 

 to come out. However, this did not prevent the bee 

 carrying out its plan. It visited a number of flowers 

 in this way until a friend, whose curiosity was so 

 greatly excited, made the bee aware that it was being 

 narrowly watched. Although I have spent many 

 mornings watching the bees, it was only on this 

 occasion that I saw the flowers visited in this way. — 

 R. Paulson. 



Mimulus LUTEUS. — In preparing some tran- 

 sections of Mimulus for microscopic examination, I 

 observed a difference in structure from the ordinary 

 form of annular plant-stems. Usually they have the 

 fibro-vascular bundles separated by the intervening 

 cellular tissue of the plant-stem ; but in the Mimulus 

 stem the fibro-vascular bundles give place to a com- 

 plete ring of wood. The plants were in bloom, and 

 in fine condition. Could any reader say if this is an 

 uncommon form of stem ? — P. Kilgour. 



Albino Varieties.— In response to Mr. Wheat- 

 craft's appeal in Science-Gossip for January (p. 17), 

 I beg to say that in June, 1S80, I saw large patches 

 of Gentiana vcrna, the flowers of which were white. 

 Many were quite pure, others, however, were slightly 

 tinged with blue. To the best of my recollection, 

 there were no plants with flowers of the usual colour 

 near. The white-flowered variety occurred on the 

 grassy border of the road which leads from Nanders 

 to Finstermunz, but only, if my memory serves me, on 

 the right-hand side. There were a great many plants, 

 and I found them in patches along an extent of 

 probably two hundred yards or more. I once found 

 on the Axenstrasse, above Brunnen, a plant of that 

 very elegant little campanula, so common on the Alps 

 (I forget the name of the species) which had pure 

 white flowers. This plant grew in the midst of a 

 number of others whose flowers were of the usual 

 colour. I am not sure, but I think that whenever 

 Crocus vermis occurs on the Continent, the flowers 

 will always be found to vary in colour between white 

 and purple. I have seen this state of things in three 

 localities at least. One was on the heights above 

 Castellamare in February. Another was on a mountain 

 at the back of Cadenabbia in May, and a third was 

 -on an alp near the Dreizuinen in the Dolomite country, 

 this was early in July. It may be worth mentioning 



that within ten days of seeing those last I gathered 

 blossoms of Colchicum autumnale at Berchtesgaden, 

 so that these two plants, one of which in England 

 flowers in March and the other in September, must 

 have been in flower in the two last-mentioned 

 localities at the same time, spring and autumn, so 

 shaking hands. — P. 



Bee Orchis, irregular appearance of.— In 

 reference to note by J. T., in current number of 

 Science-Gossip, the writer's opinion is that the 

 subject is far from being exhausted, and appears to 

 remain one of the unsolved problems of plant history. 

 The erratic appearance of Ophrys apifera referred to 

 in 1879, still characterises the species in this district, 

 but with one remarkable exception. There is a 

 station for it about half a mile south of Luton, on a 

 hillside, through which has been made a deep cutting 

 for the Midland. In this place a few plants have 

 been found in blossom every year from 1882 inclusive. 

 In the search for them, assistance has been rendered 

 by my friend Mr. Catt, so that between us, we have 

 been enabled to investigate the matter at the proper 

 flowering season. It certainly is curious, and sug- 

 gestive of great caution in scientific deduction, that 

 just as one was being confirmed in belief from 

 numerous observations, that bee orchis might never 

 be expected to re-appear in the same station for two 

 or three consecutive seasons, a small group of plants 

 should persist in blossoming for five seasons in 

 succession, that is from 18S2 to 18S6. There is 

 nothing remarkable in the station, which is green- 

 sward on a hillside, with a north-west aspect, or 

 calcareous soil, just such as finds its repetition in many 

 neighbouring localities where this plant is essentially 

 erratic in its appearance. The remark with reference 

 to the interference of cattle with them, is suggestive 

 of a valid reason, as the writer has often seen flowerine 

 spikes, on the basis of which were leaves that had 

 been cropped by animals. So that it is quite possible 

 the energies of the plant might be temporarily crippled 

 to the destruction of its " starch "-producing foliage, 

 without which it could not of course produce a supply 

 of reserve material to nourish the flower-spike of the 

 following season. Another orchid, noteworthy for its 

 irregular appearance, is Spiranthes autumnalis, which 

 in one station did not blossom between 1S79 and 

 1SS3. — J. Saunders, Luton. 



Thunderstorms and Frosts. — I have noticed 

 for the last three years that the frequency of thunder- 

 storms has been on the decrease in summer months, 

 whilst frosts have increased in severity. Perhaps 

 some other reader of Science-Gossip has noticed 

 the same and would be able to offer an explanation. 

 Does the electrical condition of the atmosphere have 

 anything to do with this phenomenon ? — If. J. 

 Frederick. 



