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THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol. XL VI 



About two inches from the base of the leaf there was put 

 a quantity of amber-colored honey sufficiently large to 

 form an oval mass, which could be seen in the shade at a 

 distance of twenty feet. Twelve inches from the honey 

 and a few inches from the apex of the rhubarb leaf there 

 was placed a bright red flower of the Zanzibar balsam 

 (Impatiens sultani), an inch in diameter, on which there 

 was a small amount of honey. 



A bee returning from the hive went directly to the red 

 flower, where it took up its load and flew away. 



A bee came to the red flower. Two more bees came and 

 were impounded. The first bee left for the hive. 



A bee returned to the flower. A second bee came, both 

 flew up in the air, and one of them went to the mass of 

 honey but soon returned to the flower. The first bee left 

 for the hive. I attempted to impound the second, but it 

 escaped. 



A bee came to the flower, and after five minutes re- 

 turned to the hive. 



The bee returned to the flower. A second bee came, and 

 hovered in the air for some time, but finally settled by 

 the bee on the flower. Both bees left for the hive. Both 

 bees returned to the flower, and when they again left I 

 discontinued the experiment. The rhubarb leaf was re- 

 moved and the bees were given honey on a glass slide. 



It seems impossible to explain the behavior of the bees in 

 this experiment on the supposition that they were guided 

 chiefly by odor. In view of the large quantity of honey 

 and its easy accessibility there would have been no occa- 

 sion for surprise had the bees given it much greater 

 attention. 



After carefully removing the honey from the rhubarb 

 leaf I placed near its apical end four flowers of the Zanzi- 

 bar balsam, forming a bright red square. On one petal of 

 each flower there was a small drop of honey. Ten inches 

 away near the base of the rhubarb leaf I put a single 

 petal of a balsam flower on which there was a large drop 

 of honey. While both bees were away I removed the 



