4-02 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



thoughts may, if inexperienced, be 

 badly stung; even an experienced bee- 

 keeper with the kindest of thoughts 

 might have a similar experience, but 

 the^ chances are in favor of the ex- 

 perienced beekeeper's immunity, if he 

 is kind and gentle in handling the bees. 

 It can hardly be said of bees that they 

 are treacherous, at one time responding 

 to gentle treatment and not at another. 

 It may rather be said that bees are 

 moodish. Sometimes the most ex- 

 perienced beekeeper cannot handle 

 them without putting on gloves or veil 

 and at times they may be taken up in 

 handfuls and tossed in the air even 

 by an inexperienced child. The skill 

 in handling bees is therefore not a mat- 

 ter of temperament, of kindly treat- 

 ment nor of rough handling, but rather 

 of knowing when and under what con- 

 ditions gentleness may be expected 

 from gentleness. 



It must be admitted, however, that 

 even if one is experienced and if the 

 bees are in a gentle mood, it does take 

 considerable nerve and self-control to 

 let the bees crawl up near one's neck 

 and chin as these bees are doing. 



We are indebted to the "American 

 Bee Journal" for this interesting illus- 

 tration. 



Recent studies of autumn foliage 

 seem to show that although the bright- 

 ly colored leaf has passed along much 

 of its nutritive material to other or- 

 gans, it is itself still living, even after 

 it falls from the tree. 



Dr. Jacques Loeb, now of the Rocke- 

 feller Institute, announces in Science for 

 January 29, the results of some very 

 careful experiments in feeding the 

 banana fly (Drosophila). He succeeded 

 in raising large numbers of these flies 

 from eggs to maturity with no protein 

 food. Grape or cane sugar, one or two 

 amino-acids, an ammonium salt such 

 as the tartrate, and certain other in- 

 organic salts proved to be ample diet 

 for the insects, although as is well- 

 known, any mammal would promptly 

 starve on such provender. Apparently, 

 then, the fruit flies are, in their food 

 requirements, intermediate between 

 the plants and the higher animals, and 

 about on the level of the bacteria. 



Motion Pictures of a Singing Katydid. 



Mr. Raymond L. Ditmars has suc- 

 ceeded in taking pictures of the katy- 

 did in the act of singing. In an article 

 in "The American Museum Journal," 

 he says : 



"To photograph the katydid singing 

 was a difficult task. This insect sings 

 by scraping the wings together and 

 only at night. A light of any kind will 

 stop it. Yet to photograph a singing 

 specimen at night meant that a stream 

 of powerful electric light must be 

 turned upon the songster. The deed 

 was done in a grove of young oaks 

 close to the studio. Several dozen 

 katydids were placed in the trees and 

 the camera — on a high tripod — focused 

 on the vegetation of a tree in the center 

 of the grove. The instrument, with 

 special long focus lens was to record 

 the movement of a single insect that 

 watched all proceedings, but remained 

 silent owing to our close arrangements 

 with the machines. The camera was 

 then belted to a small motor so that no 

 operator would stand by the instru- 

 ment to disturb the insect. A search- 

 light, such as is used in the navy was 

 then trained on the single tree in which 

 reposed the actor, its powerful rays 

 making photography possible. With 

 the remainder of the grove in darkness 

 the decoy katydids sang vigorously. 

 In the intense beam of violet light the 

 principal in this educational drama was 

 seen turning slowly. Was it irritated 

 by the light, and would it crawl from 

 the lines of focus? This would mean 

 much labor in moving the heavy ap- 

 paratus in what seemed a fruitless and 

 costly experiment. But its uneasiness 

 was caused by the saucy taunts of the 

 decoys. Its wings were elevated 

 slightly. It could not resist answering 

 some of those rasping calls. The man 

 behind the searchlight could be seen 

 glistening with the perspiration as he 

 'fed' the carbons of the great arc light. 

 The writer's fingers were upon the 

 switch of the camera motor. Then the 

 insect's wings began to move rhythmi- 

 cally and another chant was added to 

 the chorus of 'katydid, katydidn't,' and 

 so it continued until the picture was 

 taken. And this picture has been seen 

 by thousands of school children who 

 never knew how insects 'sing.' ' 



