Agalena, house-spider, 7.
Alypia, grape-vine-moth, 160.
Andromeda (A. ligustrina),
singular greeting to the bee, 126;
interior arrangement of flower, 128;
release of the pollen, 129.
AngrÆcum, orchid of Madagascar, with nectary eleven inches long, 219.
Ants,
herding the aphides, 166;
a model honey-farm, 167.
"Ant-holes," 61.
Aphides, plant-lice,
founders of the feast, 165;
herded by ants, 167.
Apocynum, dogbane, 236.
Aprophora, spume-bearer, 82.
Arethusa bulbosa, orchid, 175.
Argiope, field spider, 8.
Aristolochias, 119.
Aristotle, 23.
Arum, wild:
—Position of the anthers, 141;
progressive stages of change, 142.
Asclepias cornuta, milkweed, 227.
Asilus, "robber-fly", 8.
Axell, a follower of Darwin, 116.
Bees:
—The drone of, 5;
a counterpart of clover; dependence of clover on, 117;
manner of approach, 121;
black-and-white banded, 126;
approach to the blue-flag, 131;
experiment with the bumblebee, 209;
his escape from the flower, 210;
manner of cross-fertilizing, 212;
manner of conveying the pollen, 218;
his difficulties with the milkweed flower, 233;
the cumbersome handicap, 234;
destroyed by the milkweed, 235.
Beetles (Cicindela), tiger, 68.
Birds:
—Swifts, 5;
robin, 5;
vireo, 5, 45;
indigo, 5;
chat, 5, 40;
oriole, 5, 32;
red-headed chippy; barn-swallow, 6, 28, 39, 40;
cuckoo, 23;
"kow-bird"; cow black-bird; bunting, 27;
song-sparrow, 30, 40;
Maryland yellow-throat, 28, 45;
Wilson's thrush; chewink, 32;
fly-catcher; bluebird; oven-bird; cat-bird; ph[oe]be, 40;
bobolink; "reed-bird," 53;
humming, 227.
Birds' nests:
—Flimsy structure of the cuckoo's, 26;
song-sparrow's, 30;
oriole's swinging hammock; cobweb structure of the vireo's, 32;
size of yellow-bird's; summer yellow-bird's beautiful home, 47;
a four-story house, a possible fashion in featherdom, 51;
pipit's, 35;
wood-sparrow's, 37.
Bittersweet (Celastrus scandens), queer little harlequins on, 9;
its scarlet-coated seeds, 88.
Blackburn, Mrs., quoted, 35.
Blair, Patrick, his claims concerning pollen, 111.
Blossom ceremonies, 119.
Blue-flag,
its hidden anthers reached only by the bumblebee or large fly,129;
manner of the bee's approach, 131.
Burroughs on wren-building, 17.
Butterflies:
—Great yellow swallow-tail (Papilio turnus); red admiral (Pyrameis Atlanta); small yellow (Philodice); semicolon (Grapta interrogationis); comma (Vanessa comma), 153;
orange; white (Aphrodite), 154;
white cabbage (Pontia oleracea) 153.
Cactus, prickly-pear, its golden bower, 118.
Collinsonia, horse-balm, 136.
Caterpillars, 10, 14, 15, 62.
Celastrus scandens, bittersweet, 88.
ChamÆlirium luteum, devil's-bit, 133.
Chipmonk, 6.
Cicada,
victim of the sand-hornet, 77;
manner of depositing its eggs; period of transformation, 97;
time of hatching, 100.
Cicindela, tiger-beetle, 68.
Clover, cause of failure of crop in Australia, 117.
Cobwebs:
—A dusty prize; a two year's span, 7;
a mixed assortment in, 8.
Cone-flower (Rudbeckia hirta), 138;
embryo seeds; arrangement of the anthers, 139.
Cow black-bird, 27;
his favorite perch; old dame's theory, 28;
an unwelcome intruder, 30;
a prowling foe, 31.
Cow-bird:
—Ravenous young parasite, 31;
a clamoring lubber, 37;
"Black Douglas" of the bird-home, 38;
selected victims, 39;
distribution of its eggs; vicious habits, 40;
egg-laying intervals; demoralizing conditions; American species an improvement, 41;
survival of the fittest, 42;
balance of power, 44;
outwitted, 51;
massing for migration, 52.
"Cow-spit," 80.
Cross-fertilization, 115, 122, 178, 189, 194.
"Cuckoo-spit," 80.
Cuckoos:
—Poetic misnomer, 23;
outrage on maternal affection; yellow-billed; black-billed; imagination versus facts, 25;
bad workmanship of nest, 26;
its stammering cry, 27;
manner of depositing its eggs; handling the egg with her bill, 33;
short period of incubation; voracious appetite of the young; aggressive selfishness, 34;
the tragedy of the nest, 35;
manner of disposing of its nest-mates, 36.
Cypripedium acaule, moccasin-flower; ladies'-slipper; Venus's-slipper, 205.
Darwin:
—Process of anatomical evolution, 35;
theory of cross-fertilization, 105;
inspired insight, 115;
his disciples, 116;
experiments with pollen, 126;
weakness of self-fertilizing flowers, 144;
triumphant revelation, 171;
reaffirming Sprengel's theory, 178;
a chosen interpreter, 181;
dependence on insects, 183;
revealing the hidden treasure, 185;
foretelling the manner of cross-fertilization, 189;
description of the cross-fertilization, 209;
bees as implied fertilizers, 212;
truth of his belief, 220.
Darning-needle, dragon-fly (LibellulidÆ), 156;
his dainty morsel, 160.
Delpino, a follower of Darwin, 116.
Desmodium, its hospitable welcome, 118.
Devil's-bit (ChamÆlirium luteum), 133.
Digger wasp,
its color and wire-like waist, 72;
manner of working, 74;
covering its tracks; opening the tomb, 76;
living food for the young grub, 77;
its remarkable carrying power, 78.
Dogbane (Apocynum),
its fragrant, bell-shaped flowers, 236;
trapping moths, 237.
Dogwood, 5.
Door-Step Neighbors:
—Chronicle of a day, 58;
disappearing holes, 59, 16;
"ant-holes"; a danger signal; an unhealthy court, 61;
a transformation, 62;
an experiment; method of excavation, 63;
a stalwart worker, 64;
an uncouth nondescript; spider-like legs, 66;
crawls on his back, 67;
a tiny black wasp; a spider-catcher, 69;
resting on her wings; inspecting her burrow, 70;
manner of burying her prey; skilful workmanship, 71;
a new-comer; her wire-like waist; digging her tunnel, 72;
manner of working; sound of labor, 74;
covering her tracks; opening the tomb, 76;
fresh living food, 77;
carrying seven times its weight; peculiar features of stone-piling, 78;
color of the wasp, 79;
the spume-bearer, 81;
nomadic blossoms; a sack bearer, 83;
winter quarters, 84.
Epeira, field spider, 8.
Epiphytes, air-plants, 181.
Evening primrose, its golden necklace, 118.
"Fertilization of Flowers," 116;
wrong theory, 114.
Fertilization of orchids, 105, 183.
Flies:
—Robber, 8;
bluebottle, 8;
harvest ichneumon, 45, 77, 96.
Foxes, wild gambols of, 6.
Froghopper. See Spume-bearer (Aprophora), 82.
GÄrtner, recognizing the theory of cross-fertilization, 115.
Genesta, its reception of insects, 118.
Geranium, wild (G. sylvaticum), 112.
Gilbert, concerning cuckoo's eggs, 25.
"Gobs," 80.
Gray, Asa:
—Demonstration concerning orchids, 184;
surmise concerning the withdrawal of pollen, 188;
orchid structure, 190.
Grew, Nehemias, discovery concerning pollen, 110;
discoveries about pollen, 113;
first step in progress, 116.
Habenaria flava:
—Yellow-spiked, 203;
H. lacera, ragged, 200;
H. orbicularis, showy, 194, 199;
H. psycodes, purple-fringed, 200;
H. mascula, 189.
Heath, its distinguishing characteristics, 123.
Hemiptera, bugs with sucking beaks, 81.
Herbert:
—A follower of Sprengel, 108;
recognizing the principle of cross-fertilization, 115.
"Honey-dew Picnic":
—Gathering of the clans, 153;
a selected spot, 154;
a motley assemblage, 155;
an outlaw, 157;
a finish fight, 158;
funeral baked meats, 164;
gathering his grist;
the founder of the feast, 158.
Honey-guides, 112, 129.
Hornets:
—Its heavy load, 9;
on the watch, 15;
"solitary," 17;
queer home of, 18;
great sand, 77;
black paper, 161.
Horse-balm (Collinsonia), its singular shape, 136;
manner of bee's approach to, 138.
Huber:
—On insect slavery, 151;
on the cultivation of the aphides, 166.
Insect Fertilization, 115.
Jack-in-the-Pulpit, detaining its guests, 119.
Jardine, Sir William, concerning cuckoo's eggs, 32.
Jenner, Dr., habits of the young cuckoo, 35.
Knight, Andrew:
—On the divination of flowers, 108;
theory of cross-fertilization, 115.
KÖhlreuter:
—Recognizing Sprengel's principles, 108;
a botanical pioneer, 115.
Krunitz, on flower honey, 111.
Labiates, flowers with lips, 122.
Ladies'-tresses (Spiranthes), 218.
Larva:
—Hornet, 16;
"puss-moth," 76;
psychid, 83.
LinnÆus:
—Settling the theory of fertilization, 44.
Tennyson, quoted, 24.
"The Secrets of Nature in Forms and Fertilization of Flowers Discovered," Sprengel's work, 113.
ThÉvenot, concerning the thrift of insects, 152.
Tiger-beetle (Cicindela), 68.
Toads, 6.
Toad-spit, 80.
Tree-hopper, 93.
Venus's-slipper (Cypripedium acaule), 205.
Vireo, abandons its nest, 45.
Wasps:
—Wren, 10;
microscopic, 45;
tiny black, 69;
digger, 72, 162;
orange-spotted, 79;
brown; mud, 161.
"Waxwork" bittersweet (Celastrus scandens), 88.
Welcome of the flowers:
—The function of the stamen, 106;
difference in cells, 107;
condition of the flower, 108;
physiological features; recognition of sex in flowers, 109;
exchange of courtesies; each flower a law unto itself, 117;
action of "jack-in-the-pulpit"; cypripedium and aristolochias; peculiarity of the sage, 119;
queer stamens; nature's arrangement, 121;
cross-fertilization insured, 122;
showers of laurel pollen; curious construction of flower, 124;
singular greeting to the bee, 126;
remarkable interior arrangement of the Andromeda, 128;
hidden anthers of the blue-flag, 129;
intercommunication and reciprocity, 135.
Wild geranium (G. sylvaticum), 112.
Wild volapÜk, 4.
Wilson, cow-bird's eggs, 33.
Wind as a fertilizing agent, 154.
White, Gilbert, cuckoo's eggs, 32;
rich localities, 58.
Wood, Alphonso:
—On tubercles, 203;
on embarrassed bees, 235.
Woodchucks, 5.
Wren-wasp (Odynerus flavipes):
—A cumbersome prize, 10;
selecting a home; way stations; a second instalment, 11;
very familiar, 12;
a well-stocked home, 13;
impotent anÆsthetic, 14;
manner of catching her prey; a hypodermic injection, 15;
food on storage; closing the cell after depositing egg, 16;
living food; preference for ready-made houses; resemblance to the yellow-jacket, 17.
Zenarchus, concerning the cicada, 96.

[A] In numerous instances observed since the above was written I have noted the larger bumblebees upon the blossom. These insects have a different method of approach, hanging beneath the flower, the anthers being clapped against their thorax at the juncture of the wings, instead of the abdomen, as in the smaller bee.