724 THE VEGETATION OF THE LOWER WABASH VALLEY. 
—for not only did we boys know where the honey lay, but 
we prided ourselves on knowing that the white-faced carpenter- 
bees could not sting. As we have shown, our orioles found out 
this fact also. In their operations they caught the bee on the 
flower. This of course was done with the bill. The victim was 
then transferred to one foot and securely held in the claws, while 
the head was snipped off; then the sharp, narrow bill and tongue 
were applied to extract the sac containing the valued sweets. 
From every point of view this new habit appears to us extraordi- 
nary ; and if these orioles generally get into the secret, it must . 
needs go hard with the carpenter-bees ; at least with the stingless 
ones or, as Patrick observes, those of the male persuasion. An 
then when we look at the similarity of the acquired new habits in 
the two cases mentioned, how remarkable the parallelism of the 
epicurean instincts of the Australian and the American birds! 
In both cases is there a singular change of the food propensities, 
and an equally seeming cruel wantonness in gratifying the same. 
As the poor victims lay before me, I was drawn to think of the old 
legal barbarity expressed in the judgment, ‘‘ to be hung, drawn, 
and quartered ;” for, pitiful sight, in my very hand lay these decap- 
itated and eviscerated objects still manifesting a vestige of life in 
the automatic movements of the legs of the body and the palpi 
of the head. May it not be asked, if the birds are learning the 
secrets, dnd practising the ways of men, and even like them 
acquiring more refined tastes, whither will the march of intellect 
lead? At any rate does there not seem to be some connection 
of our opening homily with orioles and bumble-bees? 
- NOTES ON THE VEGETATION OF THE LOWER 
ABASH VALLEY. 
.BY ROBERT RIDGWAY. 
_ II. PECULIAR FEATURES OF THE BOTTOM-LANDS. 
Axout the middle of September, 187 1, I visited Foote’s Pond, in 
Posey County, Indiana, and in company with my botanical friend 
Dr. Jacob Schneck, of Mt. Carmel, Illinois, spent a day in exploring 
