191 3- MoFi^AT. — Bees and Flowers. 69 
wards, in a field some distance away, I saw another bee 
of the same species, also gathering from Lathyrus mac- 
rorrhizus, and it was also dividing its attention between 
that plant and Ajuga reptans. And in the course of the 
same walk 1 came on a third specimen — Bombus agrorum 
again — gathering in about equal proportions from Vetchling 
and Bugle, and restricting itself with the same precision as 
the others to those two plants alone. 
Now, of course these three occurrences were not a mere 
accidental coincidence. It was evidently a habit of Bombus 
agrorum, for some reason, to mix the honey of Lathyrus 
macrorrhizus with that of Ajuga reptans. In fact, I have 
never since been in the country in early June without 
noticing some instances of this singular behaviour. I 
have seen no bee but the Carder Bee gathering at all from 
Lathyrus macrorrhizus : and I have never, since my atten- 
tion was drawn to the matter in 1895, seen a bee gathering 
from Lathyrus which did not, on being watched, prove to 
be also visiting the flowers of Ajuga reptans. 
The converse, however, is not so strictly true. I have 
seen bees of this species at the Bugle when there was no 
Vetchling for them to gather from. And as it is sometimes 
said the exception proves the rule, I will go on to say what 
happened on some of these occasions. 
Firstly : an incident that greatly pleased me happened 
on June 3rd, 1901. I saw a Bombus agrorum gathering from 
Bugle, in a part of the woods where Bugle was flowering 
in extreme profusion (carpeting the ground, you might say) 
but not a bit of Lathyrus macrorrhizus was anywhere in 
sight. I watched that bee, and after gathering from two 
spikes of Bugle it got restless, flew to many other spikes 
without gathering, then went on a slow roving flight for 
perhaps 200 yards through the wood, till I saw it suddenly 
pounce on something low down among the herbage. I 
ran up, and there was the bee clasping in triumph a flower 
of Lathyrus macrorrhizus. And after a good draught had 
been taken from the flowers of that one plant, which it had 
so cleverly found, it went back to Bugle, gathered from 
two more spikes of that species, and once more flew away, 
for what purpose I can only guess. 
