65 



dioecious Crozier says in regard to the watermelon: "In 

 making some crosses today on the Volga watermelon, a var- 

 iety from Southern Russia, I discovered that the so-called 

 pistillate flower possessed stamens." 



Gucurbito- pepo, Linn. The different forms of this spec- 

 ies have the same general arrangement and structure as are 

 found in G- maxima- The odor of the large yellow flowers 

 is not so pleasant as in that species, but is rather disagree- 

 able. Nectar is abundandt and the insects reaches it in 

 about the same way. The flowers open early in the morn- 

 ing and when mature the pollen falls out, frequently filling 

 the bottom of the flower. The grains are very large, round 

 and spiny. When placed in water the spinf^s in several places 

 are thrown ofl, and in a short time the contents pass into the 

 water. 



Insect vmfovs.'— Hymenoptera, Apis melUjica, Bom- 

 bus pennsylvanicay Formica rufa. Coleoptera, Diahro- 

 tica longicornis and D. vittata, Fab. 



GitrulltiS vulgaris, Schrader. The pale yellow corol- 

 las of the watermelon are widely spreading. The honey is 

 secreted at the base of the flower. It is easy to observe how 

 the honey bee obtains its nectar. It uses the petals as a rest- 

 ing place and obtains the nectar through the opening. It 

 first probes one side and then passes over the stamens to the 

 opposite side of the flower from which the nectar is taken. 

 When its work is finished it flies to another flower. Its visits 

 are confined cheifly to one variety but occasionly other var- 

 ieties are visited. It is noticeable that when flies collect pol- 

 len, honey bees flit about the flower a moment, then go to 

 another. The flowers are open all day. 



In the insect visitors the Hymenpptera were represented 



