POLLEN 
658 
jurious' effect has ever been observed either 
from the nectar, or the honey in the hives. 
In addition to the laurels, Rhododen¬ 
drons, and yellow jessamine, poisonous hon¬ 
ey is supposed to be yielded by species of 
Andromeda, Leucothoe, and Pieris. It will 
be noticed that all these plants belong to 
the heath family, or Ericaeae. One writer, 
indeed, refers to this entire family as a 
source of poisonous honeys; but this is 
clearly false, since the honeys gathered 
from sourwood and the heathers are excel¬ 
lent. The flowers and flow T er-clusters of 
Pieris, Andromeda, and Leucothoe are very 
similar to those of sourwood, and they may 
well yield an equally harmless nectar. 
Thousands of bees are said to be killed 
by the nectar of the soapberry tree (Sap- 
indus marginatus) , a small tree found in 
the South. It belongs to the same genus 
as the maples, and the nectar is undoubtedly 
equally harmless. It is in the highest de¬ 
gree improbable that any plant produces 
nectar which is poisonous to the insect pol¬ 
linators. Nectar is an allurement, the role 
of which is to induce the visits of insects 
and to secure cross-pollination, and the pro¬ 
duction of poisonous nectar would tend to¬ 
ward self-destruction. It is impossible to 
imagine how such a condition could arise. 
But flowers often have poisonous petals, 
the purpose of which, in the opinion of 
Darwin, is to prevent leaf-eating insects 
from feeding upon them. 
There have been a few cases in which 
severe sickness and even death have been 
reported from eating poisonous honey. 
While such statements may be accepted 
with reserve, yet until more proof to the 
contrary is produced, it would be well to 
' err on the safe side by eating such honey 
in very small quantities if at all. Inferior 
grades of honeydew, or fruit juices, 
which had undergone partial decomposi¬ 
tion, might occasionally cause sickness. 
It is also possible that in rare instances 
bees may get access to unwholesome or 
harmful liquids. It is extremely probable 
that the nectar of many species of plants 
when first gathered would produce sick¬ 
ness. The poisonous species of Rhus, as 
poison oak, and poisonwood of Florida, 
yield a' large amount of honey. Very likely 
ill effects would follow the eating of this 
honey, before it is capped. But tlioroly 
ripened it is said to be harmless. It is 
well to remember in this connection that 
thOroughwort and cascara sagrada yield 
medicinal, honeys and rabbitbrush a nause¬ 
ous honey. Further investigation is desir¬ 
able, and meanwhile the so-called poison¬ 
ous honeys should be used with great cau¬ 
tion. 
POLLEN. —The anthers of flowers are 
composed of four sacs, which contain nu¬ 
merous small dust-like grains called pollen 
or microspores. Pollen is a highly nutri¬ 
tious food which is eagerly eaten by many 
insects, and is gathered in large quantities 
by bees as food for their brood. A pollen 
grain is protected by an inner and an outer 
coat (in a few species there is but one 
coat), and is filled with a semiliquid in 
which float many minute granules. Its 
contents form a complete food, consisting 
of proteids, substances rich in nitrogen, 
sulphur, and phosphorus; and carbohy¬ 
drates, or starch, oil, and sugar. Pollen 
thus offers a rich supply of easily obtained 
nourishment to all insects, especially to 
those which are not predaceous. 
Pollen grains vary in size from 1/100 of 
an inch in iris to 1/3000 of an inch in 
some saxifrages. The number of pollen 
