
          365

The morning seemed more like one in early June.  Left
home at about 8 A.M. for the ravine which I reached
about 9 o'clock.  Strolled slowly over the now familiar
route to our hut.  Just, on entering the ravine, under an
oak, I found several scattered patches of Monotropa
Hypopitys, only the flowering tops peeping out above the dead
leaves.  The plant has a pleasing brown color and not the
uncanny, I might say distrustful appearance of its near relative
the corpse-plant, M. uniflora.  The flowers have a slight
fragrance and must [perhaps] contain something sweet for a bumble-bee
was rifling them.  Perhaps I ought not to say rifling for he
entered the flower through the proper channel, and flowers and
insects are so dependant one upon the other.  If he does take
the honey he also brushed himself with pollen which he will carry 
to another flower and thus ensure cross-fertilization.

I noticed one stalk, however, which had its floral cluster
entirely gnawed off and ants were busily engaged boring out the
stalk.  Could they have gnawed off the flower top?  One
other stalk had a small bit gnawed out.  Perhaps the
stalk contains some starchy food which the ants like.

        