188 THE bbs-kbbper'S guidb ; 



matter, granular food materials, such as starch and oil and 

 dissolved food matters, sugar and dextrine. 



Dr. A. de Planta gives the following analysis of pollen of 

 the hazel (B. B. Journal, Vol. XIV, p. 269). He finds proto- 

 plasm, oils and starch — the important food elements. 



Before drying he found : 



Water 9.]9 



Nitrogen 4.81 



Ash 3.81 



After drying thoroughly he found : 



Nitrog:eiious Matter 31.63 



Non-nitrogenous 64.36 



Ash 4.01 



He found no reducing sugar, but did find 14.70 percent of 

 cane-sugar. 



As will be seen, pollen, like our grains, is rich in the 

 albuminoids. Like our grains, or even different specimens of 

 the same grain, the composition of pollen will doubtless vary 

 to quite an extent. As we note that pollen contains besides an 

 ash, albuminoids, sugar, starch, and oils, we understand its 

 excellence as a food ; it contains within itself all the impor- 

 tant food elements. The bees usually obtain it from the 

 stamens of flowers ; but if they gain access to flour when there 

 is no bloom, they will take this in lieu of pollen, in which case 

 the former term used above becomes a misnomer, though 

 usually the bee-bread consists wholly of pollen. I have also 

 known bees to gather extensively for bee-bread from the com- 

 mon raspberry rust. Very likely the spores of others of these 

 fungi or low vegetables help to supply this nutritious sub- 

 stance. Occasionally there is a drouth of bee-bread alike in 

 hive and flowers, then bees will seek this kind of food in meal 

 or flour box or bin. Hence, the wisdom of feeding rye-flour 

 which the bees will readily take if it is needed. Flour may be 

 added to candy and fed to bees. 



As already intimated, the pollen is conveyed in the pollen- 

 baskets (Fig. 70) of the posterior legs, to which it is conveyed 

 by the other legs, as already described, page 154, and com- 

 pressed into little oval masses. The motions in this convey- 

 ance are exceedingly rapid, and are largely performed while 



