HABITS AND INTELLIGENCE OF BEES 127 



from the stamens of certain flowers should be carried 

 to the pistils of other flowers, and the mission of the 

 bee is unconsciously to carry the precious dust from 

 blossom to blossom in her search after the tempting 

 drop of nectar with which the shy flowerets reward 

 the winged bearer of their love-messages. A wonder- 

 ful and fascinating chapter in natural history is that 

 which treats of the relations existing between flowers 

 and insects. Flowers may be divided into two 

 classes, those fertilized through the action of the 

 wind, and those in which fertilization is effected 

 through the intervention of insects or a like agency. 

 Darwin and others have shown what interesting 

 stratagems flowers of the latter class resort to in 

 order to secure the services of insects in this respect. 

 Every little foible and weakness of the winged visitor 

 is pandered to. What is commonly called a flower 

 is indeed nothing more than a skilfully devised trap 

 to attract the attention of insects, and thus ensure 

 their services towards fertilization. Our little friend 

 the bee is aesthetic in her tastes, and behold the 

 varieties of flowers vie with each other to beguile her 

 attention in the display of the most artistic blending 

 of colours and beauty of design. She likes sweet 

 scents, and the laboratory of nature is called upon 

 to distil the choicest perfumes to humour her. But 

 these are but an advertisement for the nectar which 

 it is the principal object of the bee to obtain, and 

 when she has alighted in search of it, it is only to 

 find that the flowers have in many cases devised 

 the most exquisite little mechanical arrangements 

 whereby she is unconsciously compelled to effect the 

 object towards the fulfilment of which they have 

 indulged in such a lavish expenditure of beauty and 



