26 KANSAS UNIVERSITY SCIENCE BULLETIN. 



flower, that it is quite difficult, on account of the large, flexible 

 corolla, to see just what is done, but repeated observations led 

 me, quite satisfactorily, to this conclusion. The bee seeks the 

 pollen — for the flowers have neither nectar nor odor — and this 

 she uniformly gets from the four shorter stamens ; never, so far 

 as I could determine, from the larger one. This she does by 

 seizing each one, near its base, between her mandibles, and 

 with a sort of milking motion crowds the pollen out of the ter- 

 minal pores ; meanwhile, by the movements of her feet, the 

 larger stamen is repeatedly sprung backwards, and as often 

 throws a cloud of pollen on one side of her body ; this in a right- 

 handed flower. When she passes to a left-handed flower, which, 

 as was explained above, is very likely not to be on the same 

 plant, the pollen is carried directly to the pistil of that flower, 

 and so on. We have here, therefore, a novel apparatus for 

 cross-fertilization, quite distinct from those that have been most 

 commonly noticed." 



A considerable quantity of pollen may be thrown from the 

 terminal pores of the large stamen upon tapping it. It thus 

 seems quite possible that some pollen is thrown upon the side 

 of the insect, as described by Professor Todd. All the meaning 

 of Mr. Meehan's s statement is not clear to the writers, but he 

 says, in speaking of Professor Todd's results: "In regard to 

 the manner in which the pollen is extracted, he found that 'this 

 she does by seizing each anther near its base between her man- 

 dibles, and, with a sort of milking motion, crowds the pollen 

 out of the terminal pores.' If this were the general way, there 

 would be no necessity for any pollen being ejected from the 

 long stamens, for the stigma would surely receive some during 

 the 'milking' process; and the pore at the apex in the ]ong 

 anther is beyond the line of the stigma, so that on ejection from 

 the pore the pollen would go still farther beyond." 



It seems that this statement is of considerable importance for 

 *S'. rostratnm as well as for 0. marilandica. Professor Todd very 

 evidently overlooked the fact that, in securing the pollen from 

 the small stamens and transferring it to the hind legs, the sides 

 of the insect are sure to be well dusted with pollen from these 

 stamens. In the case of Apis mellifica, as noted above, there is 

 no certainty that in visiting the flower the same side will be 



8. Meehan, Thomas: On the Fertilization of Cassia marilandica, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 

 Phila., 1886, pp. 314-318. 



