"Blossom Hosts and Insect Gnests 



support, and thus clapped the pollen against his 

 sides. Reasoning from analogy, it would of course 

 be absolutely clear that this pollen has thus been 

 deposited where it will come in contact with the 

 stigma of another flower. So, of course, it proved. 

 In the bee's continual visits to the several flowers, 

 he came at length to the younger blooms, where the 

 forked stigmas were turned directly to the front, 

 while the immature stamens were still curled up in 

 the flower tubes. Even the unopened buds showed 

 a number of species where the early matured stigma 

 actually protruded through a tiny orifice in pre- 

 cisely the right position to strike the pollen-dusted 

 body of the bee, as he forced his tongue through 

 the tiny aperture."" 



* In numerous instances observed since the above was written, I 

 have noted the larger bumblebees upon the blossom. These insects 

 have a dilTerent method of approach, hanging beneath the flower, 

 the anthers being clapped against their thorax at the juncture of the 

 wings instead of the abdomen, as in the smaller bee. 



95 



