My dear Father,

I send some Epipactis by post.¹

I have not time to write particulars.

I have seen bees visit about 14 to 20 flowers, and have caught one with pollen about root of trunk. I did not see one actually withdraw pollen.

When a bee alights on a fully open flower it rests in a more sloping position from the lip sinking more than in case of a flower just at perfection

the bee remains quite outside the flower & pushes his head in till the top of the Anther just rests between the antennæ, and keeps boring its proboscis down with a jogging motion. A shows the angle of trunk & body of bee sucking an open flower B a perfect flower.

I am tolerably sure (but it is most difficult to be quite so) that in case of bee sucking as at B that it flew off in rather more vertical a direction than in A. see dotted line & in each case whether open or not the lip flew up and appeared to hit the bee on the belly, and in one or two cases of perfect flowers the bees appeared to fling themselves off with a quick jerk kicking out with their legs.²

I found that bending a rush point and passing down under Anthers, and bringing it out with a jerk I very often drew out the pollin

I send you the Epipactis in case you want to try any more as to withdrawing pollen. I will tell the rest when I come on Thursday.³

Your affect son | W.E.D