The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1881-10-22
Facts About Bees,

MP. Z. E. Rider, Of Canton, Mass,
to the Journal Of Education some highly
interesting facts about the bee, obtained
BY long and patient observation. Fol-
lowing are extracts from his letter:
''Bees, large and small. never alight on
the top of the iris, but always in the
same place, between Que of the winged
styles and one of the petals. l have
watched hundreds Of them. l have
never seen an exception. Soon after
alighting they force their bodies down
as far as they possibly can into the very
narrow space where the petal and STYLE
are very close together, breaking the
pollen from the anthers above them,
and in this place they extract the honey.
l have seen them do this on the iris of
the garden and on the Iris Nirqintca and
the IRIS tersicolor of the meadows, and
the process is the same, q bee alighting
on one of the irises in my hand"
Mr.. Rider thinks that the Office per-
formed BY the bee in making flowers
productive is to. brush the pollen from
the anthers and convey it onits body d.
rectly into the ovary which it pierces.
He thus upsets well-known popular
fancy:
"There is one popular delusio4 about
bees, and that is that Decline is .
straight one. Let the following obser-
vati0n be considered. The hundreds of
bees in the meadows, seeking honey of
the iris, and going away laden with it,
60 in q series Of delicately curved lines,
al not in straight ones. In the woods
and fields their course Is Just the same.
Sitting or reclining on favorite knoll,
where bees are continually flying about,
I have seen them day after day, at the
rate Of six or eight every minute, make
number Of circles, large and small, about
my head, and then fly Of with great r.
pidity, not in straight lines for any con.
siderahy distance, and this, too, where
there was plenty Of room for them to fly
q great distance i, straight lines with
out any obskuctions, but from side to
side In . kind ofigzar ~otion Of curved
lines. -
"Again, passiAe ..1g the street,
there is q great buSzihg in the trees near
by. It is . swarm OF bees. They are |
directly overhead, and l stop and watch |
them; there's millions in It. They, too,
fly . long distance within sight, not In
straight lines, but in curves majestic |
curves. Many Of them fly swiftly from |
one side of the swarm to the other, but |
always in curves. Perhaps they are the |
mounted police, and this my explain |
their curve-like motion, but II does not
explain why the whole swarm moves |
thus.
"Once more: near the last day of tho
term . bee flies into the school.room.
During its fight across the room, per-
haps twenty.fveor thirty feet, Il changes
is course four or five times, alights on q
window.pane, makes several Intellectual
attempts to climb IT. smooth surface,
scents = rose on neighboring desk, is
On Il in 1an instant (curves again), Is
nnceremd biously thrust to The floor BY
The y6ung lady owning the rose, and.
then In another instant makes Decline
THAT is, such . line-curves here, too
y : bee makes3 for the open window,
Ind Is Of.
"From these observations, ! Decline
9 not . Mechanically straight one,
than Court Street, Or some
Il tho older areets Of Boston, ~ thew I
,riRinAlly 01i6t0d. Woro stra31ht: any