D122 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [| December, 1906. 
loud buzzing can be heard all night long.” I have never so far 
seen Or heard any crepuscular bee in Caleutta. ’ 
__ With the dawn in Calcutta, Xylocopu latipes and, generally a 
little after it, X. wstwans, come to the flowers of the plant and 
visit. diligently... If in August one watches at 5-30 a.m., these bees 
may be seen to arrive before the sun is up, and to commence work. 
‘They are. still at work at 3 or 4 o’clock in the afternoon. When 
Xylocopa latipes visits a virgin flower, the visit lasts 8—10 seconds ; 
if the flower is not virgin it lasts only 2—3 seconds. I find that it 
takes the bee 1 —14 seconds to find the honey, not that it does not 
know how to get at it, but that it has to thrust its proboscis in by 
‘such a crooked path, groping for the honey with the end of it. 
When the honey is found, and if the flower be virgin, the abdomen 
of the bee can be seen to beat up and down 20—25 times as it 
inks. I notice that often the bee refuses to-enter a flower which 
had been recently sucked, apparently recognising the fact by some 
mark or scent. — 
Groove in which sexual 
“ organs he. ‘ 
vans Stigme 
-+--++-s---Way to honey 
--- e-----Filament 
Fic. 2.— Roof of antrum, diagrammatic, 
The bees, when they leave the flowers, are more or less abundant- 
y dusted on the head and thorax with pollen ; and invariably they 
eeoraift but te a faint scent emanating from the bracts or calyx 
outside, where there is a second (extra-floral isited b 
ants, oad an occasional fly, Bre ee a 
n the day before the flower will be open. 
: y befor be open, and about noon, the 
two large bracts, which have enclosed the bud up till now, part ; 
ants suck them as well as the extra-florat-nect: 
