THE BUCKET ORCHIDS 



191 



they really come for is the interior lining 

 of the labelluni which they gnaw off with 

 great industry. They may be seen in 

 great numbers, disputing with each other 

 for a place on the edge of the hypochile. 

 Partly by contrast, partly perhaps intoxi- 

 cated by the matter they are indulging in, 

 they tumble down into the 'bucket' (epi- 

 chile) half full of the fluid secreted by 

 the horn-like organs at the base of the 

 column. They then crawl along the an- 

 terior inner side of the bucket where there 

 is a passage for them. If one is early on 

 the lookout, as these hymenopters are 

 early risers, one can see on every flower 

 how pollination is performed. The hum- 

 ble-bee in forcing its way out of its invol- 

 untary bath has to exert itself consider- 

 ably as the mouth of the epichile and the 

 face of the column fit together exactly and 

 are very stiff and elastic. The first bee 

 that is immersed will have the gland of 

 the pollen masses glued to its back. The 

 insect then generally gets through the 

 passage and com'es out with this peculiar 

 appendage, to return almost immediately 

 to its feast, when it is generally precipi- 

 tated a second time into the bucket, pas- 

 sing out through the same aperture, and 

 so inserting the pollen masses into the 

 stigma while it forces its way out, and 

 thereby pollinating either the same or 

 another flower. I have often seen this, 

 and sometimes there are so many of these 

 humble-bees assembled that there is a 

 continual procession of them through the 

 passage specified." — "Missouri Botanical 

 Garden Bulletin," St. Louis, ]\Iissouri. 



Regent's Park, London. 



BY DR. C. H. MYERS, CHATTANOOGA, 



TENNHSSEE. 



The Gardens of the Zoological Society, 

 situated in Regent's Park, London, 

 occupy more than thirty acres in the 

 northern portion of the Park adjoining 

 the grounds of the Botanical Society 

 and the Archery Society. The Society 

 is very old, having been founded by 

 Sir Humphrey Davy and Sir Stamford 

 Rafflees in 1826. 'Naturally it is a 

 Mecca for children, and hundreds are 

 familiar with the elephants and the 

 dromedaries, the pelicans and the par- 

 rots of this famous zoo. The band plays 

 for the children on Sunday afternoons. 

 Many Parks are inhumane enclosures, 

 where beasts and birds suffer from im- 

 proper feeding and limited space. The 

 photograph herewith will serve to 

 show the remarkably fine provision 



made in Regent's Park. Rock and 

 cement have been used lavishly to re- 

 l)roduce as nearly^ as possible the habi- 

 tats of the animals. At the left back- 

 ground are the rocky crags for ante- 

 lopes, mountain goats and gazelles. 

 There are also furnished spacious pad- 

 docks. In the foregroimd is the polar 



A POLAR BEAR IN CAPTIVITY UNDER GOOD 

 CONDITIONS. 



bear's pond. This healthy white speci- 

 men is a good illustration of the possi- 

 bilities in well-conducted zoological 

 parks — which constitute one of the 

 finest of educational institutions. 



The famous asphaltum beds of south- 

 ern California have preserved many in- 

 teresting remains of animals which 

 have become ingulfed in them. A col- 

 lection of more than two thousand 

 specimens from these deposits has late- 

 ly been acquired by the Field Museum 

 of Chicago. Among other bones, are 

 those of the sabre-toothed tiger, the 

 mastodon, bison, a giant sloth similar 

 to the Megatherium, with various cats, 

 horses, deer and the like. Nearly 

 everything is of the time of the Glacial 

 Period. 



