150 NATURE STUDY AND AGRICULTURE 



If the pupils study red clover in the field they will be 

 sure to find bumblebees. If they are quiet they will be ! 

 able to get close enough to see what they are doing. Watch 

 a bee go over a head of clover. Where does it put its 

 tongue to get the nectar? Where is the nectar secreted 

 in the flower? Remove one of the flowers. Put the 

 lower tip of it in your mouth and you can taste the sweet 

 nectar at the base of the corolla tube. How far down 

 must the bumblebee thrust its tongue in order to procure 

 the nectar ? On what part of its body is it likely to collect 

 pollen ? Watch to see whether one bee visits several heads 

 in succession. Capture several bees for close observa- 

 tion. This may be done with an insect net, or by quickly 

 thrusting a pint Mason jar over a flower on which a bee is 

 feeding. Have the lid ready to put on the jar the instant 

 the bee is inside. Place the bees in a terrarium in the 

 schoolroom. Feed them on honey or sweetened water. 

 Place in a bottle of water several flowering stems of clover 

 or other flowers and set in the terrarium. The bees will 

 help themselves to the nectar. Pupils will be able to see 

 here better than out of doors how the tongue is used. 

 They can see this especially well when the bee is licking up 

 a drop of honey or sweetened water. Have pupils note the 

 covering of the body. Of what advantage is the hairy 

 covering in conveying pollen? Note the legs. Do the 

 last pair differ at all from the others ? Are there hairs on 

 the legs ? How many different things can you see the bee 

 doing with its legs ? Breathe gently on the bee and notice 

 how it uses its legs to clean its body. What is the color of 

 the wings ? How many wings ? How do they differ from 

 those of the honeybee? You can always tell a bumble- 



