THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 135 



borers make a small ventilating hole and through this the cast- 

 ings are ejected. Dr. Bird is anxious to secure specimens of 

 boring larvae from the middle west in the hope that he may 

 eventually rediscover the long lost rutila. It is assumed that 

 the best time of year to search for the larvae is during the 

 month of July, but it is well to be on the lookout at other 

 times especially as all the moths are not known yet and one 

 has some chance of discovering an entirely new species. Larvae 

 can be sent to Dr. Bird in a section of the plant in which they 

 bore, enclosed in a tin box. When you discover boring larvae 

 of any kind, send them to Dr. Bird. 



Bees and Flower Color. — In the old days when every- 

 body was intent on discovering additional proofs in support 

 of the Darwinian theory, it was shown how admirably bees 

 and flowers were adapted to each other to secure cross pol- 

 lination, by the assumed fact that when the bees set out on 

 their morning expeditions they picked out a color that har- 

 monized with their state of mind and obstinately refused to 

 visit flowers of any other hue during the day. All of which 

 would be, as Horace Greeley used to say, "interesting if true." 

 As a matter of fact, the bee, though supposed to stick to her 

 particular bee line of blossoms doesn't do anything of the kind 

 as anyone who will visit a garden of multi-colored flowers may 

 easily discover for himself. If bees are found to be working 

 on flowers of a single color, there are other reasons for it than 

 the hue of the blossoms. If, for instance, a plant with yellow 

 flowers happens to be producing abundant nectar, the flowers 

 are likely to be well patronized by the insects, but when no 

 species with marked nectar flow is blooming the bees visit any 

 likely flower within range. Nor is the bee's reputation for 

 favoring blue and purple flowers sustained in the flower 

 garden, however much it may appear to be when bits of color- 

 ed paper smeared with honey are substituted for flowers. The 

 bees visit the blossoms having the most nectar. When one of 



