166 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



C. pusilla, Bryce. I have only seen this tube-forming species on 

 one occasion, Fort Augustus. My example was typical, but 

 Mr. Bryce has also seen var. textrix in material sent him. 



NOTES ON THE ANTHOPHILOUS INSECTS 

 OF THE CLOVA MOUNTAINS. 



BY J. C. WILLIS, M.A., and I. H. BURKILL, M.A. 



NOTE II. ON THE CHOICE OF FLOWERS BY SYRPHIDS. 



CHILOSIA FRATERNA, Mg., is a not uncommon insect at Clova in 

 lune and July, but we always took it upon flowers of a bright 

 yellow. It frequented the following : of Class B, Taraxacum 

 officinale and Hypochceris radicata ; of Class AB, Caltha palustris, 

 Ranunculus Flammula, Ranunculus acris, and Potentilla Tormentilla ; 

 and of Class A, Saxifraga aizoides. We have, however, one very 

 doubtful visit recorded to Pimpinella Saxifraga. The other species 

 of Chilosia seen at Clova also were largely on yellow flowers. They 

 are : C. sparsa to Trolliits europceus, and female flowers of Salix 

 aurita ; C. antiqua to Hypochceris radicata, C. bergenstammi to 

 male flowers of Salix aurita, and C. scutellata to Pimpinella 

 Saxifraga. C. sparsa and bergenstammi were taken in May, the 

 others in June and July. All of them belong to the strath, and on 

 one day only was C. fraterna taken on the hill-sides at 1300 and 

 1800 feet above sea-level. 



A glance at the lists, given by Knuth, 1 of flowers visited by 

 Chilosias in various parts of Europe shows that there are other 

 species of the genus so far only recorded as visitors to yellow flowers, 

 e.g. C. antiqua, Mg., C. albitarsis, Mg., C. canicularis, Pz., C. 

 chrysocoma, Mg., C. pubera, Ztt., C. vernalis, Fall., and C. vidua, 

 Mg. A number of others visit, besides pure yellow flowers, the 

 greenish-yellow male flowers of Salix and yellowish-green female 

 flowers, and the creamy -white or white flowers of Spir?ea and 

 Umbellifers. There are, however, several Chilosias which have 

 been seen to visit flowers of other colours. Verrall " says of the 

 genus that "in life the species sit on large leaves, with the wings 

 lying flatly parallel over each other, or partly spread out in the 

 sunshine." Whether their affection for the sunshine leads them 

 to the brightest flowers or not, we cannot say ; but the observation 

 that they do seem to choose them leads us to examine particularly 



1 " Handbuch der Blutenbiologie," vol. ii. 

 ^ " British Diptera Syrphidre," London, 1901, p. 207. 



