310 LATE ORIGIN OF BLUE FLOWERS. 



true that there are comparatively few blue flowers, still, 

 if we consider only those in which the honey is con- 

 cealed, and which are, as we know, specially suited to 

 and frequented by bees and butterflies, we find a larger 

 proportion. Thus, of 150 flowers with concealed honey 

 observed by Miiller in the Swiss Alps, 1 68 were white 

 or yellow, 52 more or less red, and 30 blue or violet. 



However this may be, it seems to me that the 

 preceding experiments show conclusively that bees do 

 prefer one colour to another, and that blue is distinctly 

 their favourite. 



1 Alpenblwnen, p. 492. 



