132 Field Naturalists' Club- -Proceedings . [v^oL^xx^x 



NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. 



Bees and Pollen. — Mr. J. Searle said that the statement 

 is put forward, he beheved by Grant Allen, and frequently 

 made use of by other writers of " popular natural history," 

 that bees, when collecting pollen, visit only one kind of flower, 

 or flowers of the same family, the reason for this being stated 

 to be that pollen grains of one shape or size are more readily 

 packed in the " pollen baskets " on the legs of the bee than 

 pollen of various shapes. He recently had an opportunity of 

 testing this statement, when it seemed to fall to the ground. 

 The insect was one of our native bees, and it visited first tea- 

 tree, then dandelion, and many other wild flowers — white, 

 yellow, purple, or blue — in no particular order, but just as 

 they happened to be met with. After five minutes' observation 

 he captured the insect on a dandelion flower, and took it home. 

 After washing the pollen off the insect's legs with a little 

 alcohol, he placed a portion of it on a glass slip under the 

 microscope, and counted thirteen different shapes among the 

 pollen grains — round, three-cornered, oblong-oval, kidney- 

 shaped, and spiked. Evidently this bee's education had been 

 sadly neglected, or it would not have made such a varied 

 collection of pollen ; or was it that the writers of these 

 " popular natural histories " were at fault ^ Perhaps they 

 had never seen a bee at work, but had written a pretty fable 

 on what they thought the bee ought to do. 



Mr. A. D. Hardy, F.L.S., said that in his opinion the wild 

 bee collected more promiscuously than the hive bee. 



EXHIBITS. 



By Mr. J. W. Audas, F.L.S. — Fresh specimens of orchid 

 Caleana major, R. Br., and also fifty dried specimens of plants 

 collected at the Grampian Mountains, October, 1913, including 

 Prostanthera debilis, F. v. M., Weak-leaved Mint-bush, Leuco- 

 pogon thymifolius, Lindl., Thyme-leaved Heath, Leucopogon 

 glacialis, Lindl., Twisted-leaved Heath, Eucalyptus alpina, Lindl., 

 Grampians Gum, Stylidium soboliferum, F. v. M., Bristly 

 Trigger-plant, Bauer a sessiliflora, F. v. M., Showy Bauera, 

 Trymalium Daltoni, F. v. M., Grampian Trymalium, PultencBa 

 rosea, F. v. M., Rosy Bush-pea ; these are endemic to Victoria, 

 and pecuUar to the Grampians and south-west. 



By Mr. F. G. A. Barnard. — Growing moss, Dawsonia superba, 

 in pot with Fagus Cunninghami ; also a spike of the orchid 

 Lyperanthus (Caladenia) suaveolens, G. Reich., Scented 

 Lyperanth, which had been exhibited at the October meeting 

 (exhibition of wild-flowers) and was still fresh. 



By Mr. R. A. Bastow. — Collection of lichens, illustrating the 

 genera of Australian lichens. 



