( cxii ) 



flowers. But it may be said that flowers attract all sorts of 

 insects. 



Let us look at it from a rather different point of view. 

 The bees of the genera Jiomlms, Apathus, A')Uho]}hora, and 

 Antkidium have bifid claws, and all are frequenters of flowers 

 and are more or less dependent upon them for their existence. 

 But exactly the same form of claw is seen in some wasps of 

 the genus Sallies (e. g. S. basalts), which are among the most 

 predaceous insects, storing their nests with spiders, the larger 

 species attacking and killing even the lai'ge Mygalidx. Again, 

 although Bomhus and Apathihs are both frequenters of flowers 

 they are somewhat different in their habits in other respects, 

 Bombus forming its nest on or under ground and storing it 

 with pollen, while Apathus lives as an inquiline in the nest 

 of the Bombiis. Bornbics and Salius, however, have at least 

 this in common, that they both build nests. The building 

 of nests and formation of cells is, however, done chiefly with 

 their mandibles, so that the form of the claw is not likely to 

 be due to this cavise. The species of Crabro and Cerceris, both 

 of which store their cells with other insects, have simple claws. 

 Pompilus, which stores its cells with spiders, has toothed claws. 

 The species of Odynerus which form cells in bramble stems 

 and any convenient hole and store them with larvi\3, have bifid 

 claws, and so has Eamenes, which forms mud cells in which they 

 store caterpillars. 



Quite apart from the question of the habits of bees and 

 wasps, there is the fact the toothed and bifid claws are found 

 in other Orders. The toothed claws of Pompilus, Fepsis, 

 Megachile and others can be very well matched in Coleoptera 

 of the family Melolonthidx, and, as I have already mentioned, 

 in certain Dragon-flies, insects with totally different habits. 

 Again, the bifid claw occurs in many Coleoptera, the Longicorn 

 genus Amp>hioiiyclia, for example. These are fond of resting 

 on flowers. I do not know where they deposit their eggs, but 

 it must bo in dead or dying wood or in the stems of plants. 

 But the species of Glenea which so much resemble them, 

 and which so far as I can ascertain are also frequenters of 

 flowers, and whose larvaj no doubt live in similar places, have 

 at least in the females simple claws, as indeed the vast majority 



