86 



rated biscuit and sugar: it had been on board more than three months. On purchas- 

 ing it of the captain, I put it in my hat, and did not expect it to live, but on going 

 homewards, found it not quite so dormant, as by a sudden movement, after it had been 

 there some little time, I felt something equal to a dozen lancets running into me, which 

 will readily account for my having so many specimens with the tarsi gone, the natives 

 not liking to handle them. On arriving at home I found the beetle to be exceedingly 

 active and restless ; and having at the time a large Fuchsia in bloom on the table, I 

 put it on the pot, when it immediately ran (if I may so term it) up the plant to the 

 top, and to my surprise took flight to the window, where there stood a vase of roses, 

 and immediately began to bury its head in the centre of a rose, and appeared to be 

 eating. The flight was very rapid, and accompanied by considerable noise. The sun 

 coming out, T left the beetle for some little time, when on going into the room again, 

 and coming suddenly upon it, it directly took flight; and I afterwards found that by 

 making a sudden noise, it would invariably do so if the sun were out. I could rarely 

 get it to take flight if the sun were not shining, but at all times it was very watchful, 

 and at the slightest noise would erect its antennae, and look towards the point whence 

 the noise proceeded, and then lie quite still ; but if the noise were repeated, the beetle 

 would take flight. On giving it its liberty, which I generally did every day, by allow- 

 ing it to crawl over me, I found that it would always take three or four steps, then stop 

 and look about, then a few more steps, and if I chanced to move my hand, or any one 

 came near me, it would take flight. After having it some time, and always feeding it 

 myself, it came quite to know me, would not start, and would come to my finger if I 

 held it out, and if there was no sugar, it seemed quite disappointed. I believe that it 

 knew my voice, having tried it several times when several persons were in the room, 

 for as soon as I spoke to it, if previously quite still, it would brisk up and be quite rest- 

 less until I fed it, which was invariably with sugar, or honey, and a little moistened 

 biscuit or bread. As far as I could I supplied it with roses, having tried it with many 

 flowers, but to none was it so partial as to the rose. After feeding it invariably cleaned 

 its antenna?, and the tarsi also, if by chance either of them had touched the sugar. The 

 antenna? were cleaned by using the two fore tarsi, and drawing them to its mouth ; 

 the hair on the middle and lower legs was used to clean the wings and elytra." 



A paper on the Habits of the Bombinatrices, by H. W. Newman, Esq., of Stroud, 

 was then read, of which the following is an abstract. 



" Although there have been several publications on this branch of Natural Histo- 

 ry, I still venture to submit to the public the observations I have made on four species 

 of humble bees, having spent the leisure hours of four or five summers of my youth in 

 this pursuit. My object is mainly to describe the extraordinary habits of the drones 

 or males of all the four species of Bombinatrices which have come under my immedi- 

 ate notice and observation, which have never been described by any former writer on 

 he subject. 



" Genus Bombus. 



" 1. Apis terrestns. — This is the most common and the best known of the four 

 species. It inhabits all parts of Great Britain and the Continent, but is more plenti- 

 ful in the northern part of the kingdom than in the south ; indeed, I have found that 

 in the southern and western counties, the nests do not contain so many inhabitants as 

 even in the midland counties, probably owing to the scarcity or abundance of the wild 

 flowers. The female may be seen in the spring, flying from flower to flower. She is 



