[C18]

Maer. May 22d /42/

The Menyanthes sheds its pollen when fully expanded & certainly not before.

(Arum Fly Dun)

Maer May 22d /42/

In Arum numerous insects & many dead at bottom.— in one large spadix 30 or 40 midges Diptera; some of a second species & a true little fly all quite thickly dusted with the large grained pollen.— The abortive filamentous pis stamens seem to render their egress very difficult; How uninviting a plant, buried in damp hedge bottoms.— the same senses. wh. directed these insects to one arum wd direct them to another.— (aa)

May 23d /42/ Maer. Vinca minor, found the oblong transparent grains of pollen in mouth of corolla just above where the petals become cleft & on hairs in tube when it is absolutely requisite some foreign agency shd have put them: also frequent doubly b bulbous testis-like opake smaller balls, like eggs of moths or some insects— hence confusion

[C18v]

May 24th. Examined more arums from another locality some flowers contained, I should think 5 or 60 or more midges of same species & one or two flies all dusted wings & all.— breathed into spadix numbers (& all would) crawled out, dusted, invariably by the central organ, "leaving pollen on it", as they tasted w crawled on it, took readily wing, most of them irregularly, but some flew straight to other arums in bank, two one yards off: I saw several midges probably some of those I had disengaged fly into this, as well as in other arums, they alight on concave surface of sheath, or on its edge, & suddenly fly downwards into flower.— Opened the arum into which I saw some of the midges out of the arum, which I held in my hand, fly, & found not one of the anthers bursted; there were a good many midges in this, I could not perceive that any of these midges were dusted or that any of of the soft papillose stigmas were dusted, but there were certainly 3 grains of pollen of arum together, lying loose at bottom of spadix, close to a stigma.

In one several unopened flowers, no insects, ∴ not bred in there.—

Arum pollen about 1/800 globular. = 26th tied quietly net over arum & found in course of hour many midges in it— found on summit central of central organ in a flower, which I had not touched & did not see insect come out from, many grains of pollen, proof of dusted insects of their own escaping.— in many midges in flower with unbursted anthers, wh. shows they come for secretion, & not for pollen.—

[C19]

Maer May 24/42/. Pollen of Mercurialis perennis tolerably abundant rath oblong rather more than 1/1000 broad, rather less in breadth; anthers small, male flowers more numerous than female; wind impregnation doubtful.— on almost all the male flowers very many small moths (20) copulating & routing amongst the anthers evidently in preference to other parts— these moths had almost all the front part of their bodies well dusted with pollen.— They generally keep their long leg-like Palpi in rapid scratching movement, wh & thus scratch whole surface of flowers, especially I think anthers,— I saw them scratch the pollen out of anthers & thus dust themselves; I think they carried the pollen to their mouths— I saw during only 1/4 of an hour 3 or 4 alight on the female flowers, on the rugged prominence, which crowns the germens.— these points form a good alighting point on summit of plants.— NB. visited this group of plants again 2 days after & yet found many moths.— in other localities found one group with same moths, but several other groups without any. The female flowers, I find are ripened, in which I saw moths light— open, & mature flowers small— stigma rough & rather large— probably impregnated by wind, occassionally aided by insects, for flys haunt this plant, as well as the moths.— at present the flowers are hidden under, those which are ripening & germens swollen, so that I doubt

[C19v]

whether wind could impregnate them. Must examine these flowers earlier. On a female plant found one single male flower hidden by foliage near the late hidden female flowers.=

Linaria 700 yards off

[C20]

Bees

Maer. May 26 /42/ Large patches of Geranium Phaeum or fuscum introduced & run wild— Frequented by vast numbers of Humbles. [sketch] Flower in vertical plane—quite symmetrical & likewise is the calyx.— the five nectaries appear quite similar yet Bees invariably insert proboscis in between upper petals in which they at once alight without doubt.— The pistil does not turn up at all but rather down.— the stigma opens, & the cleft, perhaps, slightly turns up when most of or all anthers dropped off stamens curled outward & downwards & when corolla is on point of doing so— possibly are is sometimes impregnated when dropped for I saw Bees visit some mere calyx & I saw one go to unopened bud & insert proboscis on upper side between corolla & calyx.— in some flowers kept all night & rather withered, I found large drop of sweet nectar beneath each nectary— I can hardly believe Bees Proboscis can reach all round flower— Have they not discovered the lower nectaries?— not aboriginal flower!!

[in margin:] Do not waste time

[in margin:] (So in bored plants)

30th

I again find flowers kept in water all nectaries secrete immensely.— In the bed some days all nectaries X Lobelia even sun shining equally dry, some days all equally studded with minute drops & I now I observe Bee first insert proboscis on one side & then on other, but if they find none on one side they do not waste time in trying other.

[C20v]

so that greater number, especially on former days when less honey was secreting, insect only on one side, hence my error.─ [sketch] exact size of nectaries made by pressing a section ─ old & young flowers all secrete nectar.—

The calyx alone after corolla dropt does not appear to secrete any honey

[C21]

Maer. Jun 1. 42.

Fly (21)— with proboscis as long as body in extraordinary numbers— saw it on Primrose in numbers on Lily of the valley — Rhododendron — large white Stellaria — Cardamine Pratensis — common Veronica — Lychnis dioica. — Ground Ivy.— Linum flavum a kind of Draba= Daisies= Vicia sepium. Lathyrus grandiflora— Saw this fly (21) repeatedly suck, the Vicia with entire address.— Small Geranium= Rhingia rostrata

Maer. Jun 1 /42/ In large clump of Vicia sepium saw a large & small brown Humble & dark Humble— must have visited every flower many times.— From repeated observ. this year as well as last, I thought this flower was only visited by a large brown Humble! perhaps only sexual differ.— Certainly brown bees far more common on this plant than any other Bee.—

— Maer do— Fly (23) common on. Umbelliferæ & on Mountain-Ash & Horn-Beam=

[C22]

Fly (25) common on daisies after a week very hot weather tarsi & head dusted with pollen.—

Many flies on Daisies— Syrphus Fly 23, 21.

Do the marginal florets attract flies— never saw Bee.—

Maer

On the Snow-ball-tree wild— Many flies; especially Syrphus— on Hollies many small Humble bees & Syrphus.— Syrphus on Mountain Ash— Laburnum many Humbles=