358 NATURAL SCIENCE [November 



The consideration of this point leads us to the conclusion that the character before 

 us is one which it is impossible to look upon as having any ' survival- value,' or as due to 

 any form of selectional processes within the germ acting under adaptive requirements. 

 An adequate secondary cause is suggested for its original production in the ancestors of 

 those which now exhibit it. Perhaps someone more qualified to speak could determine 

 whether or not this is one of the exceptions to Prof. Weismann's rule, the non-in- 

 heritance of acquired characters. Walter Kidd. 



12 MONTPELIER ROW, 



Blackheath, S.E. 



INSECTS AND FLOWERS 



Without at this time attempting to discuss the general arguments used by Mr Bulman 

 in his interesting paper in your August number, I should like to draw attention to the 

 following paragraph (p. 103) : — 



" Again, if our native flowers are the result of the selective action of our native bees, 

 and those which they have specially chosen for countless generations, how is it that 

 bees take so readily to many flowers of very different forms introduced into our gardens 

 from abroad ? For such introduced plants are in many cases freely visited by native 

 bees." 



I think we need more information about this matter. I have found, here in New 

 Mexico, that garden flowers do not as a rule attract many species of native bees, unless 

 they are very closely related to native flowers. A flower garden is nearly always dis- 

 appointing as a hunting-ground, the bees found there being mainly certain widely dis- 

 tributed types which visit very many species of native plants. In a luxuriant garden at 

 Santa Fe the best collecting is on the weeds, not at all on the cultivated flowers. 



Solidago canadensis is a native plant very common in New Mexico. It is also grown in 

 gardens in Europe, and a small list of common flies visiting it there is given by Hermann 

 Mailer. In Las Cruces, on Aug. 30 of this year, Prof. C. H. T. Townsend was sweeping 

 S. canadensis for flies. He swept at the same time a lot of hymenoptera, which he 

 handed to me. I have sorted out the fossores and bees, and here is the list : — 



Anthophila 



Agapostemon melliventris, Cress. 3 • Nomia nevadensis, Cress. 



radiatus, S&y. 6- Melissodes agilis, Cress. 8 ■ 



Panurgus rhodoceratus, Ckll. Perdita sphaeralceae, Ckll., one 6 • 



Colletes americana, Cress. Epeolus lunatics, Say vel peraff. 



Ealictus stultus, Cress, vel peraff. Podalirius maculifrons, Cress. 



ligatus, Say. 

 sp. 



Fossores 



Microbembex monodonta, Say. Slizus godmani, Cam. 



Philanthus vcntilabris v. frontalis, Cress. Aphilanthops laticinctus, Cress. 



,, sp. Ccrceris acanthophilus, Ckll. 



Stcniolia dupiicata, Prov. Mijzinc frontalis, Cress. M. S. 9 . 

 Oxybelus quadricolor, Ckll. and Baker, $. fj hyalina, Cress. <$• 



,, sparideus, Ckll. Anacrabro boerhaaviai, Ckll. 



,, abdominalis, Baker. <$ • (new to Paratiphia, sp. 



N. M.). Scolia, 2 spp. 

 sp. 

 Plcnoculus cockerellii, Fox. 



I have on former occasions done equally good collecting from the Solidago. Who can 

 show a similar list in Europe collecting from the same plant ? I doubt if it can be done, 

 yet the plant belongs to a European genus, and is much less specialised for insects than 

 many others. T. D. A. Cockerell. 



Mesillo, New Mexico, U.S.A., 

 Sept. 3, 1897. 



* I suspect that this came from a Sphaeralcea growing among the Solidago, especially as there are 

 in the lot two beetles which breed on Spiiaeralcea. These may, however, have strayed from their normal 

 plant. 



