40 



shoot, it is now dead, and from the end of the stub the chmber has 

 reached out to the main stem and spread over the crown a net- 

 work of luxuriant branches under which the tree is being slowly 

 smothered to death. 



This sort of piracy is no uncommon thing in the vegetable 

 world, any more than in our own, but what surprised me in this 

 case was the unusual size of the climbing stem. I took it for a 

 grape vine at first, as the bark is fibrous like that of the grape, 

 and it was not until I had plucked off leafy twigs actually grow- 

 ing out of it that I could feel sure they really belonged there and 

 were not merely "hangers-on" of a hanger on. The bark is of 

 a lighter color and softer texture than that of the grape, and 

 also more easily detached. 



On this lusty vine only one flowering sprig, with but two ber- 

 ries, was found. This was on November 7, 191 7, and is the second 

 specimen of fruit recorded in my notes for that year, though 

 others may have been observed without being mentioned, and 

 others still may have escaped notice on account of the difhculty 

 of distinguishing them among the dark, evergreen foliage. But 

 while all this may be so, I have kept up such a constant lookout 

 for the fruiting sprays, and their scarcity is the subject of such 

 frequent comment in my notes that although their presence may 

 sometimes be overlooked, this is not a satisfactory explanation, 

 and the fact remains that the production of fruit (and conse- 

 quently of seed) is m.uch less than would be expected of so pro- 

 lific a stock. But while the flowers appear to be highly special- 

 ized for insect pollination, they seem, in the wild state, to 

 have no set time for blooming. Even in spring it is unusual to 

 see a honeysuckle vine loaded with flowers like the jessamines 

 and clematis, but it continues to blossom sporadically throughout 

 the greater part of the year (in this latitude, from April to De- 

 cember) producing a few sprays here and there — hardly more in 

 May than in October. In this way, many of the late bloomers 

 may "waste their sweetness on the desert air" so far as pollin- 

 ation and the perfecting of fruit is concerned. 



But the most puzzling thing about this successful invader is 

 how it has managed, with such imperfect provision for transpor- 



