( iii ) 



under stones, and sally forth to eat blades of grass growing 

 near their homes. 



PajJers iCc, read, 



Mr, H. Goss read a communication from Dr. Clemow, of 

 Cronstadt, St. Petersburg, on the subject of the coincidence 

 of vast flights and blights of insects during the years 1510, 

 1757, 1763, 1782, 1783, 1836 and 1847, and the epidemic of 

 influenza. During the year 1889 no unusual activity in the 

 insect world had been recorded. 



Mr. H. T. Stainton and Mr. M'Lachlan made some 

 remarks on the subject, the purport of which was that there 

 was no connection between epidemics and the occurrence 

 of swarms of insects ; and this appeared to be the opinion 

 of the meeting. 



Mr. G. A. J. Eothney communicated the following "Notes 

 on Flowers avoided by Bees." : — 



" With reference to Mr. J. W. Slater's note, read at the 

 meeting of the Society on April 2nd, 1879, on certain flowers 

 being avoided by bees, and mentioning particularly the 

 dahlia, passion-flower and oleander, I described in a letter 

 read at the meeting on April 7th, 1880, how exceptionally 

 attractive I had found the dahlias, which grow so luxuriantly 

 on the Mussoorie Hills (India), to bees, wasps, and indeed 

 Hymenoptera generally. From 1880 to 1886 I made a 

 practice of watching the blossoms of the passion-flower and 

 oleander, and as both these plants grew strongly in my own 

 compound in Barrackpore (Bengal), I had ample oppor- 

 tunity for making the following observations, which in a 

 great measure agree with Mr. Slater's note — 



Passion-flower. — This is a great favourite with various 

 species of Xylocopa, and numbers of these handsome bees 

 can generally be seen booming from flower to flower, with 

 their strong heavy flight and deep hum. I have taken Xylo- 

 copa latipes, tenuiscapa, fenestrata, auripennis, and the female 

 of cBstuans (the male of astuans I have only taken circling 

 round and round the tops of the China-box, or high up in the 

 foliage of the Peepul-tree, but never resting for a second). I 



