B£ES. -m 



ation by carrying the pollen from one flower to 

 another, such flowers being Hakea (needle 

 bush), many of the short-tubed Bpacrids, and 

 flowers of grass tree spike. But in other cases the 

 bees visit the flowers and steal the nectar without 

 rendering the service of cross-pollination in return 

 — in such cases the hive bees are ''thieves," or un- 

 Avelcome guests. Some of the flowers which the 

 bees do not benefit are the red spider plant (Grc- 

 villea punicca)y bread and meat (Danviiiia). Other 

 flowers are visited by the bees just for pollen alone, 

 example, many wattles (Acacia), some of the rib 

 grasses (Plan f ago). 



The bee has a special stomach or *'crop" in which 

 it carries the flower-honey or nectar, and it can 

 regurgitate it at will, either to feed a comrade, or to 

 put it into the store cells of the hive. 



For the gathering and carrying of pollen the bee 

 is wonderfully fitted with external organs by the 

 modification of the legs. We will speak of this 

 later on. 



Other bees are water-carriers; they fly to any 

 moist place such as a shallow pool, or a dripping 

 tap ; or to the little hollows left in the ground, 

 where water from a tap accumulates. We have ob- 

 served dozens at a time around such places on a 

 very hot day. Also it is not uncommon to see bees 

 sucking up the water left on the blades of grass after 

 the lawn has been watered. 



Other bees search out substances in flowers which 

 they use to make wax, by a curious process in the 

 body. 



