LIFE IN FLORIDA. 217 



*han the old form, and is now charmingly in flower 

 and very beautiful." 



Early iu February the damp pine-barrens are flecked 

 with the golden and purple flowers of the pinguiculas. 

 These flowers are arranged upon such a plan that cross- 

 fertilization must depend upon the agency of some 

 small insect. The stamens and pistil are concealed in 

 a little cavity in the throat of the corolla, so that it is 

 necessary to pull the flower to pieces in order to see 

 them ; and as the throat is half closed, only a small 

 insect can do the fertilizing work. 



Taking my stand in the midst of these flowers on a 

 clear still day, I soon had the satisfaction of becoming 

 acquainted with the little agent who accomplished the 

 work. It was a hymenopterous insect — a spiteful little 

 bee, so small that it could easily enter the half-closed 

 throat, and disappear in the bulge or swelling of the 

 upper part of the spur, where it was large enough for 

 it to turn round and make its exit head-first. Placing 

 my hand over the flower after the bee disappeared, 

 I held it a prisoner, but not without a retaliating 

 sting. 



I watched these insects several successive days, and 

 found them to be unerring workmen. Although there 

 were other flowers in close proximity about the same 

 size, color, and height as the pinguiculas (helianthe- 

 mums and ascyrums), yet these, as far as I saw, were 

 never visited by the little bee. How it could so un- 

 erringly discriminate between these flowers is almost a 



