A division of the humming-birds is 

 named Melliphagi, on account of living 

 on this substance ; but it is probable 

 that in some cases the small insects 

 seeking the nectar, and not the nectar 

 itself, may be the object of the visits of 

 these birds to nectar-producing flowers. 

 The bright colors, as shown by Sir John 

 Lubbock's experiments, serve to guide 

 insects to the flowers, and the odor which 

 they emit fulfills the same end. The 

 markings on a flower's petals, it is to be 

 noted, always converge toward the nec- 

 tar, as in the violet. The importance of 

 these guides to insects will be apparent 

 from the following estimations, which 

 show how indispensable it is that as lit- 

 tle time as possible should be lost by an 

 insect collecting honey. It must also 

 be remembered that the nectar is usually 

 contained in the most secure and best 

 covered parts of the flower, the object 

 being to prevent the access of rain, 

 which, owing to the extreme solubility 

 and diffusibility of sugar, would speedily 

 cause it to be transferred to parts of the 

 plants where insects could reach it with- 

 out being of any service in the way of 

 cross-fertilization. The chief purpose 

 of the flower would in this way be 

 frustrated. 



The formation of nectar is observed 

 to take place most freely in hot weather, 

 and to be prevented by cold or wet. So 

 great economy is exercised by the plant 

 that it is only formed at the time when 

 insects' visits would be beneficial, i. e. : 

 when the anthers are ripe and shedding 

 their pollen, or when the stigma is ma- 

 tured and ready to receive pollen. By 

 biologists, the visits of bees, butterflies, 

 and other insects are believed to have 

 exercised in past time an important in- 

 fluence in modifying the size, shape, 

 color, etc., of flowers, and the following 

 experiments, in spite of their incom- 

 pleteness, are of interest, as showing 

 to what an extent this action takes place 

 in nature, and as helping to determine 

 the value of this factor. These estima- 

 tions are only the first of a series and 

 the writer regrets that he has been una- 

 ble to give them the desirable complete- 

 ness, but hopes to continue them. 



The nectar was extracted with water, 

 and the sugar determined before and 

 after conversion, by means of Fehling's 

 copper solution. Many of the estima- 

 tions were done in duplicate, and gave 

 results that agreed perfectly. In the 

 case of fuchsia — which is not deprived 

 of its nectar by any insects in this coun- 

 try, the nectary being inaccessible to 

 native species— we have probably tne 

 whole amount formed ; but in the other 

 cases, the visits of bees, etc., may have 

 reduced the amount considerably. In 



this case it is a clear, colorless liquid, 

 having an acid reaction, and an in- 

 tensely sweet taste. That of many 

 others has the strong characteristic odor 

 of honey : 



SUGAR I1ST FLOWERS. 



^s & °3 



1. Fuchsia, per flower 7.59 1.69 5.9 



2. Claytoninalnlnoides,do,OAlS 0.175 0.238 



3. Everlasting Pea, do 9.93 8.33 1.60 



4. Vetch (Fie in, cracca) per 



raceme 3.16 3.15 0.01 



5. Ditto, per single flower... 0.158 0.158 ... 



6. Red clover, per head 7.93 5 95 1.93 



7. Red clover, per floret 0. 132 0.099 0.033 



8. Monkshead, per flower... 6.41 4.63 1.78 



Approximately, then, 100 heads of clo- 

 ver yield 0.8 grm. of sugar, or 125 give 

 1 grm., or 125,000 1 kilo, of sugar; and 

 as each head contains about 60 florets 

 (125,000x60), that is 7,500,000 distinct 

 flower tubes must be sucked, in order to 

 obtain 1 kilo, sugar. Now as honey, 

 roughly, may be said to contain 75 per 

 cent, sugar, we have 1 kilogrm., equiva- 

 lent to 5,600,000 flowers in round num- 

 bers, or, say, two and a half millions of 

 visits for 1 pound of honey. This shows 

 what an amazing amount of labor the 

 bees must perform, for their industry 

 would thus appear to be indispensable 

 to their very existence. Another point 

 worth notice in these results is the oc- 

 currence of what appears to be cane- 

 sugar, and that in the case of fuchsia in 

 the proportion of nearly three-fourths 

 of the whole. This is remarkable, as 

 honey is usually supposed to contain no 

 cane-sugar, its presence being generally 

 regarded as certain evidence of adul- 

 teration. The question therefore arises, 

 whether this change, which takes place 

 while the sugar is in the possession of 

 the bee, is due to the action of juices 

 with which it comes in contact while in 

 the honey-bag or expanded oesophagus 

 of the insect, or whether the process of 

 inversion goes on spontaneously, as may 

 perhaps be the case. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



An Improvement in Hives. 



DR. J. "W. WILLIAMS. 



I will describe what bee men in this 

 section consider an improvement on the 

 Langstroth hive. The size of frame 

 and hive is exactly that of the New 

 Langstroth, but instead of a movable 

 side, the side and back end are doors, 

 hung with hinges giving easy access to 

 frames. The frames are retained in 

 place by means of wire staples; wire 

 cut 2i inches long and bent at right 



