THE FLOWER AND THE BEE 



ficial to the flowers of their respective species does not admit of 

 any question. 



Since there are a few green flowers, which secrete nectar freely 

 and are frequently visited by insects despite the absence of 

 bright colors, as the garden-asparagus, basswood and wood- 

 bine, Plateau argued that, therefore, all flowers might be as 

 green as their leaves without diminishing the number of insect 

 visits. But a careful examination of greenish flowers shows 

 that for the most part they are small and wind-pollinated or 

 self-fertilized and are never, or only rarely, visited by insects. 

 In the case of the exceptions, which contain an abundance 

 of nectar, they will be often visited after the nectar has once 

 been found, but it will not be found as quickly as it would be if 

 they were conspicuous. When honey-bees are given the choice 

 between a conspicuous and an inconspicuous object, both sup- 

 plied with honey, they will discover first and visit more fre- 

 quently the conspicuous object, as can be easily shown by the 

 following experiment: 



About 25 bees were accustomed to visit a piece of dull-gray 

 board on which a small quantity of sugar-syrup had been 

 placed. Three feet away from the board there was laid on 

 the grass of the lawn a dried yellow everlasting-flower (Heli- 

 chrysum bracteatum) containing a small quantity of honey. 

 On the opposite side of the board, 3 feet away, there was placed 

 a green apple-leaf, on which there was also a small quantity 

 of honey. As soon as the sugar-syrup of the board had been 

 wholly consumed the bees began describing circles in the air in 

 a search for a further supply. They repeatedly found the 

 yellow flower and at one time there were 3 bees sucking honey 

 on it; but not a single bee found the honey on the apple-leaf. 

 According to the reiterated statement of Plateau all flowers 

 might be as green as their leaves without their pollination be- 



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