THE POLLINATION OF THE PRIMROSE 319 



the investigation of the flora of Flint and Denbigh. Miss E. Bray, of 

 Hailsham, Sussex, kindly agreed to help, and, being more favourably 

 situated, both as regards the abundance of Primroses in her neigh- 

 bourhood and opportunity for watching the flowers, her observations 

 are of special value. It should be noted that while observations in 

 North Wales were largely nocturnal, those made by Miss Bray were 

 chiefly diurnal. 



Great care has been taken to secure accurate identification of the 

 various visitors observed, and in this connection it is a pleasant duty 

 to express my obligations to various zoological friends, especially 

 Messrs. H. Britten, J. 11. Hardy, J. W. Jackson, and Dr. W. M. 

 Tattersall, of Manchester; Mr. H. Bury (Stockport); Dr. A. R. 

 Jackson (Chester) ; Dr. C. H. Murray (Liverpool) ; and the lie v. F. 

 D. Morice (Woking). 



North Wales. 



1. Cwm, Flintshire. 



Cwm, where my earliest observations were made, is a secluded 

 hamlet in North Flintshire, some three miles or so north-east of 

 St. Asaph. The valley or cwm is bounded at its upper end by Moel 

 Hiraddug (Carboniferous Limestone) to the North and Mynydd-y- 

 Cwm (Wenlock Shale) to the South, these two eminences forming 

 the northern termination of the Clwydian Range. Bryn-Goleu — ■ 

 which forms the centre of the Cwm observations — lies a little above 

 the village and at the head of the valley and almost on the division 

 between the two formations. From this point (600 feet above sea- 

 level) the cwm descends westerly and merges with the Vale of 

 Clwyd. The extremitj' receives its full share of the prevalent west 

 winds, and the situation is a fairly sunny one. 



Here the Primrose occurs abundantly, especially on the hill- 

 slopes, and along the hedge-banks, lane-sides, and field-borders. Its 

 flowering period normally extends from March to May, attaining its 

 zenith by the latter half of April. Precocious flowers may often be 

 met with long before March in mild seasons, and occasionally occur 

 in December. In the season of 1911 it began to bloom at Cwm on 

 March 4, while by May 27 only an occasional flower was to be 

 found. 



Staying at Cwm (April 13-19, 1911) I was able to devote 

 attention to the Primroses. The garden at Bryn Goleu has been 

 enclosed from the surrounding hill-slope ; it has a western aspect and 

 is quite open at the front. There are many Primroses in the turf of 

 the wild part of the garden, some relics of the original wild flora, 

 while others have been added from the neighbouring slopes. 



April 14 was a bright sunny day with some wind, and the 

 display of Primrose bloom at Bryn Goleu was kept under observa- 

 tion from 11 to 1. Although my friend Mr. R. H. Day had three 

 hives of bees within a few yards of the flowers, and all were working 

 vigorously, they ignored the Primroses. This was the more note- 

 worthy, as there were a number of flowering clumps quite close to 

 the hives and in the direct track of the workers as they passed to and 

 fro. Mr. Day informed me that he had often noticed the fact that 



