COMPOSITAE 583 



Loew observed the following in the Berlin Botanic Garden. 



A. Diptera. (a) Muscidae: 1. Anthomyia sp. ; 2. Echinomyia fera Z. {b) Syr- 

 phidae: 3. Eristalis arbustorum Z. ; 4. E. nemorum Z.; 5. Syrphus corollae F. 

 B. Hymenoptera. (a) Apidae : 6. Halictus cylindricus F. $, skg. (b) Sphegidae : 

 7. Ammophila sabulosa Z. (c) Vespidae: 8. Vespa germanica F. C. Lepidoptera. 

 Rhopalocera: 9. Pieris brassicae Z., skg. Also on the var. bessarabicus Bernh. 

 A. Diptera. (a) Muscidae: 1. Sepsis annulipes Mg., resting on a ray-floret, (b) 

 Syrphidae'. 2. Eristalis nemorum Z. ; 3. Helophilus floreus Z. ; 4. Syritta pipiens Z. ; 

 5. Syrphus ribesii Z. B. Hymenoptera. (a) Apidae : 6. Bombus terrester Z. 5, 

 skg. (b) Vespidae: 7. Vespa germanica i^. C. Lepidoptera. Rhopalocera: 8. Epi- 

 nephele janira Z., skg. ; 9. Vanessa urticae Z., do. 



1328. A. Novae- Angliae L. (Knuth, 'Bliitenbiol. Herbstbeob.') In this 

 species the branching stem attains a height of \\ m., and bears numerous faintly 

 fragrant heads 3-! cm. in diameter. About \ this breadth is occupied by a hundred 

 or so yellow disk-florets, and the rest by 80-90 blue ray-florets, which are usually 

 in several series. The ray-florets are about 2 cm. long and i mm. broad. In 

 the evening and during wet weather these close in so as to cover the disk-florets. 

 The flower mechanism is the same as in the other species of Aster : the tips of 

 the stylar branches as they grow through the anther-cylinder brush out the pollen 

 by means of small sweeping-hairs, and subsequently project so far that their stigmatic 

 papillae are exposed. 



This species is among the latest of the Asters to flower among those I have 

 observed: even on October 16 (1891) there were numerous heads in the bud- 

 condition, as well as others that had completely faded. On that day all the visitors 

 mentioned below were found on the flowers, and the under-sides of all were covered 

 with pollen. 



Visitors. Knuth records the following. 



A. Hymenoptera. Apidae: all skg.: 1. Apis mellifica Z, very common 

 (a few seen as late as October 23); 2. Bombus lapidarius Z. ; 3. B. terrester Z. ; 

 4. B. sp. B. Lepidoptera. Rhopalocera : all skg. : 5. Vanessa io Z. ; 6. V. atalanta 

 Z. ; 7. Argynnis sp. C. Diptera. (a) Syrphidae : all skg. and po-dvg. : 8. Eristalis 

 tenax Z., very common (a few seen as late as October 23); 9. E. arbustorum Z. ; 

 10. Helophilus pendulus Z. ; n. Syritta pipiens Z. (b) Muscidae: 12. Onesia sepul- 

 cralis Mg.; 13. Sarcophaga sp. ; 14. Lucilia cornicina F., freq. ; 15. Scatophaga 

 stercoraria Z., freq. (a few seen as late as October 23); 16. S. merdaria Z. ; 17. 

 Calliphora erythrocephala Mg. ; 18. Pollenia rudis F. 



1329. A. chinensisL. (=CallistephuschinensisiV>w). The flower mechanism 

 of this species essentially agrees with that of previous ones. 



Visitors. The following were recorded by the observers and for the localities 

 stated. 



Herm. Miiller (Lippstadt), a bee (Coelioxys simplex Nyl. 5, skg.), a butterfly 

 (Vanessa urticae Z., skg.), and two hover-flies (Eristalis arbustorum Z., and E. 

 nemorum Z., skg. and po-dvg.). Schletterer and von Dalla Torre (Tyrol), the bee 

 Coelioxys elongata Lep. 5. Macchiati made the following noteworthy observations 

 in Sardinia, Calabria, and Piedmont (Nuovo Giorn. bot. Ital., xvi, 1884; Justs bot. 

 Jahresber., xii, (1884) 1886, pp. 663-4). Before the heads expand, an aphis (Aphis 

 capsellae Kaltenbach) is often found living on the floral axes, where it is ' milked ' 

 by many ants. When the plant flowers in autumn, a new generation of aphides 

 appears, i. e. the winged females, which fly to the open heads. The ants are unable 

 to follow them there, for the sticky involucral bracts prove an insurmountable 



