504 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



power. These two characters are always present in Lepi- 

 doptera ; and I believe Coleoplera never possess them. — 

 Edwa rd Newm a » . ] 



John B. Bridgman. — Export of Bees to New Zealand. — 

 I enclose a notice from ' Nature' which I cannot understand. 

 Canyon help me ? What did Buckland send? — a nest of 

 humble-bees seems to me simply nonsense ; and until now I 

 was under the impression that by far the greater part of 

 fertilisation of clover was done by what I suppose is meant 

 by the "common" bee — the hive-bee. About here, during the 

 time the clover-fields are in full flovver, the fields are literally 

 alive with hive-bees, and the noise they make may be heard 

 some distance; of course Bombi are to be found there also. 

 The only other bee I have seen at clover is Cilissa tricincta, 

 and that is only one spot of white clover. "Two nesls of 

 English humble-bees were last week sent to New Zealand by 

 INIr. Frank Buckland for the Canterbury Acclimatisation 

 Society. These insects are specially desired in New Zealand 

 for the purpose of fertilising the common clover. The pro- 

 boscis of the common bee is not sufficiently long to reach 

 down to the pollen of the clover-flower, while the humble-bee 

 is enabled to do so. In this way the insect is expected to do 

 great service to the agriculturist by largely extending the 

 growth of clover. The bees were packed in their own nests 

 in two boxes, and will be under the charge of a member of 

 the New Zealand Council, who is provided with every 

 necessary for their welfare during the voyage. They are 

 expected lo arrive about the middle of January — mid- 

 summer at the Antipodes." (' Nature,' p. 5"27, October 14th.) 

 —J. B. B. 



[I have a good deal to say on this subject hereafter; but 

 may just state that I have worked hard at these bees with 

 the valued assistance of the late Mr. Walker and the late 

 Mr. Doubleda}', in addition to that of many naturalists still 

 living. Mr. Smith from time to time kindly named our 

 captures, and I shall adopt without hesitation his nomen- 

 clatiue of the species. The published observations of 

 Mr. Buckland and of the Editor of ' Nature' convey no idea 

 to my mind, nor do I think they will to the minds of entomo- 

 logical readers generally. — Edward Newman.] 



I 



K. NKWMAN, riilNTEK, LIEYUNSHUIE SXHEET, BISHOrSGATE. 



y 



