1262 General Notes, [ December, 
BOTANY .! 
NOTES ON THE STRUCTURE OF THE FLOWERS OF ZYGADENUS 
GLAUCUS Nutr.—The plant is found in low prairie lends near 
Dayton; it arises from a coated bulb, the last one or two leaves 
of which subtend buds that are to form the bulbs of next year. 
In addition to these bulbs the plant sometimes puts forth a short 
stem scarcely an inch long at the end of 
which a bulb and roots are developed. This 
stem originates in the parent bulb, but just 
where, I neglected to determine. The 
flowers are borne in panicles, are nearly 
erect, and permit the insect visitors to walk 
easily about on the leaves of the greenish- 
white perianth, sipping the excretion from 
the obcordate green glands (Fig. 3). The 
excretion had a disagreeable taste, and was 
not sweet. The open nature of the flower 
would suggest the visits of chiefly diptera, 
and such were the only visitors I saw. In 
the bud, stamens and styles are erect. The 
anthers are heart-shaped, confluently one 
celled and extorse. The three outer stam- 
til the stigmas assume 
Fic. 1.— Male state of Y” i 
flower, natural size, with the held by the anthers (Fig. 2). 3 
stamens recurved. Fic. 2— provision made for the prot 
Female state of flower, the sland excretion. The first rain coul et 
oe ee ae = it awey. All insects can readily get a 
Fic. 3.—Upper surface of a But the disagreeable taste 1S su Bees 
eterna own! (slightly en- keep away most unwelcome Mase oe 
ar EE E a seem to evade it for better plants an p : 
ably the taste of the nectar ee oe pA i 
ein i: 
ted structure 
. li 
plant as perfectly to flies as the more complica pehe 
to higher insects. The unsightly colors are 
this respect.—Aug. F. Foerste, Granville, Ohto. 
CONCERNING THE MANNER IN WHICH SOME SEEDS 
BURY THEMSELVES IN THE Sort.2—You are doubtless erp 
less familiar with the experiments of Francis Darwin Het- 
others before him on the power of seeds of Stipa, 
eropogon, Avena, and other plants to bury hem: he best, 
the surface of the soil. Mr. Darwin’s account 1S k for 1876 
can be found in the transactions of the Linnean Society 1°: 
all more 
1 Edited by ProrEssor C. E. Bessey, Lincoln, Nebraska. 
2 Read belore the Botanical Club of the A. A. A. S. 
Sa eee ee eee 
or GRASSES ‘ 
Erodium, He 
