THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
Vou. XVI] JULY, 1888. [No. 242. 
MEMORANDA ON INSECTS IN THEIR RELATION TO. 
FLOWERS.* 
By Ropert Mituer CHRISTY. 
Tue following are details of observations taken at intervals 
upon the methodic habits of insects—principally of Fossorial 
Hymenoptera—when visiting flowers in search of honey. 
1.—April 22, 1881. Pounce Wood, near Saffron Walden. A 
specimen of Bombus scrimshiranus which I watched exhibited 
most systematic habits, as it seemed to visit every flower on each 
umbel of Primula elatior that it settled upon, then went over, in a 
similar manner, all the other umbels on the same plant, afterwards 
going to’ the next nearest plant, the flowers on which were treated 
just the same. 
2.—Sept. 9, 1881. Top of Hambledon Hills, Yorkshire. A 
large humble-bee visited flowers of Digitalis purpurea many 
times, avoiding all other sorts. 
3.—Sept. 14, 1881. Garden at Chignal St. James, Essex. 
Many flowers were out, but a large black and yellow humble-bee, 
with the hinder part of its body whitish, visited red Antirrhinum 
majus and red Nasturtium only, alternately, the followmg number 
of times, commencing with the former :—39, 2; 7,3; 10,3; 12, 
1; 27, 2; 1,2; 14 (Antirrhinum) ; it then took a long flight, visited 
two flowers of Lamiwm purpurewm (also red), and disappeared. 
Thus this bee made in all 125 visits, but it did not seem to be at 
all systematic in only once visiting particular flowers of Antir- 
rhinum, but sometimes entered a flower twice over, refusing 
to visit others at all—generally, I believe, those that were rather 
* For further information on this subject consult a paper read by me before the 
Linnean Society, March, 1883, and now being published in the Society’s journal. 
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