"As regards the dahlia, this is so directly opposed to my recent 

 experience in this country that I should like to record the following 

 observations. 



" I was staying at the hill-station of JMussoorie in September and 

 October of last year,— a time when the wild dahlias- were at their greatest 

 perfection, and formed a striking feature in the scenery, — there were 

 numbers of other wild flowers of various species in profusion, but the 

 dahlias formed tlie particular attraction of the Aculeate Hymenoptera, and 

 my richest collecting ground was always where the dahlias grew thickest, 

 my most favoured spot and warmest corner being at a place called Wolfs- 

 burn Road, Laudun, where I could stand up to my waist in a rich bank of 

 dahlias of all colours, and collect around me in the shortest possible 

 time the greatest number of specimens and variety of species to be ob- 

 tained anywhere in or near Mussoorie. I am not certain of many of 

 the species captured, but the following genera were strongly represented, 

 especially the first three: — Bomhas, Apis, Vespa, Andrena, Halictus, 

 Prosopis, Polistes, Odynerus, and others; besides which, had I been collecting 

 them, I might have taken many species of butterflies, day-flying moths, 

 ichneumons, as well as several species of Diptera and Coleoptera. The 

 dahlias were mostly single, but a few double ones were also to be found. 

 The bright yellow single flowers appeared to be the most attractive — that 

 is, in taking up my position on the steep bank I preferred to plant myself 

 in a mass of yellow flowers to any other colour. I never observed that any 

 bee, wasp, or other insect was injured in any way by visiting these flowers. 

 I never found a dead one in or under the dahlias, and certainly, from the 

 activity required to capture them, I never came across any bee or wasp 

 suffering from ' narcotic action ' or ' seized with a sort of torpor.' Under one 

 fine bush of the yellow single flower I found the nests of a large species 

 of humble-bee, and spent many hours in watching the workers fly in and out 

 and to and from the dahlia flowers covered with the yellow pollen, and they 

 never seemed any the worse for their excesses ; indeed they were un- 

 commonly lively, and on one occasion, when I had been capturing too many 

 of their fine females, the workers fairly drove me off the ground by their 

 most persistent attacks." 



Papers read. 



The Secretary read a paper, by Mr. Peter Cameron, entitled " Notes on 

 the Coloration and Development of Insects." 



Professor Westwood communicated two papers : — " On two Gynandro- 

 morphous specimens of Cirrochroa Jons, Dbl., an Indian Species of 



* Mr. Rothney must be mistaken in speaking of the " wild dahlia" in India, as 

 this i^lant is Mexican, and not Indian, as pointed out by several Members on 

 healing the above communication. — Ed, 



