46 NATURE SKETCHES IN TEMPERATE AMERICA 



5a, the deep median groove, and the point of meeting of the 

 rami, which traverses alone for nearly one-half its length, acts 

 as a second repository. This pollen repository groove becomes 

 divided backwards on either side for a short distance. Pollen 

 lodges in larger quantities here and can be detected deep within 

 the median portion of the groove. With a needle, the mass 

 of grains which cluster together can be removed and separated 

 with care. A small mass, only a fractional part of what still 

 remained, showed, with a focus of one-fourth inch objective, 

 hundreds of pollen grains. The long shaft of the bill also had 

 upon Its surface a few scattered ones. The most noteworthy 

 phase of this subject remains yet to be recorded when the 

 feathers are analyzed in greater detail, for here is to be found 

 the real means of scattering the pollen, or pollination. The chief 

 repositories having been just described as occurring below the 

 angle of the mouth and in the median groove under the lower 

 mandible, it remains to mention the part taken by the 

 feathers. 



There are four ways by which the pollen becomes engaged 

 or held by the feathers, which will be better understood after 

 the anatomy of the latter structure is touched upon. The 

 feathers from the sides of the head, lores, and below, are mainly 

 instrumental in this work. In general, they are much like 

 feathers of other birds, of the contour type, plumulaceous at 

 the base, composed of a short, weak calamus, a rhachis, vanes, 

 barbs, and barbules, the latter being peculiar in that at the 

 extremity of the vane the barbules are armed with sharp, 

 thistle-Uke projections (barbicells), some of which are somewhat 

 curved. The vanes at the base of the feathers are long and 

 thread-like, near where they join the shaft are flattened, oar- 

 fashion, as seen In Fig. 4. Little pointed barbs divide these 

 filamentous vanes at regular, short distances. 



One of the methods of carrying pollen is here met with , between 

 two of the vanes, as shown. The vanes of the upper part of 

 the main body of the feather are made up of narrow, acute 

 plates or barbs, resting close together. The barbs of another 

 vane encroach or touch the barb of a neighboring vane, so 

 that between them are found entrapped many pollen grains, 

 as demonstrated in Fig. 2. Another way by which pollen Is 



