2 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



that the two upper segments of the calyx had a small piece bitten 

 out, leaving an oval opening, while in some cases the calyx was 

 torn right across. On opening the calyx of a large number of 

 flowers, it appeared that under each of the two upper segments 

 there was a drop of slightly sweet, watery fluid. There was no 

 semblance of a distinct nectary or of a glandular structure. The 

 fluid was not found under any of the other segments, nor was it 

 present in flowers growing low down on the bushes, and it was 

 also absent from the flowers of a pink variety which grew near. 



In none of these instances was there any laceration of the 

 calyx, but a few scarlet flowers which occurred here and there on 

 trees of the pink variety had nectar on the two upper calyx-seg- 

 ments, and these were always bitten. The object with which these 

 perforations are made is, as it would seem, not merely for the 

 purpose of sucking the nectar, but in order to furnish a bait to 

 attract insects to serve as prey : at any rate, whether made 

 primarily with this view, they certainly answered this purpose, 

 for several times I observed the bird seize an insect in the act of 

 visiting the pierced calyx, which after being bitten shows a moist 

 spot. When this dried up I observed the bird tear the calyx 

 across, so as to cause a fresh exudation of moisture, but this was 

 never done until late in the day, when the moisture around the 

 original openings had disappeared; all the newly-expanded flowers 

 had the oval opening in the calyx unlacerated. After prolonged 

 watching, I could not find that more than two species of insects 

 visited the calyx, and these— one a small species of bee and the 

 other a small wasp — flew directly to the calyx without visiting the 

 flower. No flies of any kind came, and no other insect except a 

 species of ant, which evidently came to visit the few aphides living 

 on the calyx. They did not enter the calyx, however, to feed on 

 the nectar, as I subsequently found another species doing on the 

 flowers of Abutilon. 



It did not appear that any insect visited the interior of 

 the flowers except a large species of Bombus, and this always 

 went straight to the flower itself, and never attempted the calyx. 

 It was able to reach the fluid through the openings which 

 exist betwixt the petals at their base, and did not probe any 

 openings between the petals other than the two upper ones. 

 It did not visit the flowers which were situate low down on the 

 bushes, and never entered the pink flowers, though the scarlet 



