304 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
power. These two charaeters are always present in Lepi- 
doptera; and I believe Coleoptera never possess them.— 
Edward Newman. | 
John B. Bridgnan.—Lxport of Bees to New Zealand.— 
I enclose a notice from ‘ Nature’ which I cannot understand. 
Can you help me? What did Buckland send?—a nest of 
humble-bees seems to me simply nonsense; and until now I 
was under the impression that-by far the greater part of 
fertilisation of clover was done by what I suppose is meant 
by the “common” bee—the hive-bee. About here, during the 
time the clover-fields are in full flower, the fields are literally 
alive with hive-bees, and the noise they make may be heard 
some distance; of course Bombi are to be found there also. 
The only other bee I have seen at clover is Cilissa tricincta, 
and that is only one spot of white clover. ‘Two nests of 
English humble-bees were last week sent to New Zealand by 
Mr. Frank Buckland for the Canterbury Acclimatisation 
Society. These insects are specially desired in New Zealand 
for the purpose of fertilising the common clover. The pro- 
boscis of the common bee is not sufficiently long to reach 
down to the pollen of the clover-flower, while the humble-bee 
is enabled to do so. In this way the insect is expected to do 
great service to the agriculturist by largely extending the 
growth of clover. ‘The bees were packed in their own nests 
in two boxes, and will be under the charge of a member of 
the New Zealand Council, who is provided with every 
necessary for their welfare during the voyage. They are 
expected to arrive about the middle of January—mid- 
summer at the Antipodes.” (‘ Nature,’ p. 527, October 14th.) 
—J. B. B. 
[I have a good deal to say on this subject hereafter; but 
may just state that I have worked hard at these bees with 
the valued assistance of the late Mr. Walker and the late 
Mr. Doubleday, in addition to that of many naturalists still 
living. Mr. Smith from time to time kindly named our 
captures, and I shall adopt without hesitation his nomen- 
clature of the species. The published observations of 
Mr. Buckland and of the Editor of ‘ Nature’ convey no idea 
to my mind, nor do I think they will to the minds of entomo- 
logical readers generally. —Hdward Newman.]} 
E. NEWMAN, PRINTER, DEVONSHIRE STREET, BISHOPSGATE, 
