PSE CHE: 175 
PS Ye ELE: 
CAMBRIDGE, MASS., JAN. 1881. 
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REVIEW. 
Dr. HERMANN MULLER’s Alpenblumen 
[PsycueE, Rec., no. 2175] is the most recent 
contribution to our knowledge of the mutual 
relations between flowers and insects, by an 
author whose studies of the fertilization of 
flowers include the habits of the insects by 
which this is effected. 
After the publication of his work on the 
pollination of flowers, in 1873, Dr. Miiller 
turned his attention to the plants growing at 
a considerable elevation above the sea-level, 
a field which his earlier studies had shown 
him to be deserving of special attention. The 
book before us shows that he has been no less 
thorough in this than in his earlier work. 
Following the descriptions of the floral con- 
trivances —if we may use this word in the 
sense accorded it by modern teleology — of 
over 400 species of plants, are systematic 
lists of the insects found upon each, including 
the frequency and object of their visits, and, 
in the case of lepidoptera and hymenoptera, 
the length of their proboscides or tongues. 
About one fourth of the volume is devoted to 
a consideration of the more interesting topics 
suggested by the facts observed, the entomo- 
logical bearings of the questions receiving 
their full share of attention. The relative 
frequency of insects belonging to the different 
orders is discussed at length while the writer 
is considering flowers with wholly accessible, 
partly concealed, and deep-lying nectar, and 
the results are tabulated for convenient in- 
spection. Flowers of the first sort have a 
mixed set of visitors, those with little-elon- 
gated mouth parts precominating; as the 
nectar becomes more and more inaccessible 
to these, the proportion of long-tongued 
species increases gradually, till, where it is 
deep-seated, bees and lepidoptera include by 
far the greater number of the insects which 
gather it, and large numbers of flowers of 
characteristic form and coloration are wholly 
or in great part dependent upon each of these 
orders for their pollination. The author finds 
that under favorable conditions the number 
of insect-visits to flowers which may be ob- 
served within a given time in alpine regions 
is even larger than at lower altitudes, this 
being dependent upon the consolidation of 
vegetation into dense masses of bloom, and 
the necessity for improving every favorable 
moment which the frequent mists and cold 
winds of high altitudes impose upon flower- 
frequenting insects. As the distance above 
the sea increases, the relative abundance of 
coleoptera and hymenoptera about flowers 
falls off, while the proportion of diptera and 
lepidoptera largely increases. A valuable 
feature of the work is a systematic list of the 
insects observed, the name of each species 
being followed by a list of the flowers which 
it frequents, and the degree of their adapta- 
tion from general to special insect groups. 
Although it is to be considered as a contri- 
bution to botany rather than to entomology, 
Dr. Muller’s ‘‘Alpenblumen” should make a 
welcome addition to the library of the ento- 
mologist who believes that biological studies 
have their value as well as those which are 
purely morphological.— W7rlliam Trelease. 
RECORDS OF NECROLOGY. 
Undoubtedly the names of many entomol- 
ogists who died in the years 1879 and 1880 
have still escaped record in our pages, as 
well as many notices of the persons whose 
names are given here. We will welcome 
gladly any contribution to the record from 
our friends or from friends of the deceased. 
ee Ae 
