IKSECTS IK THEIR VISITS TO rLOWBES. 181 



other species meanwliile (although to find them it had to fly 

 considerable distances), and these were indifferently white and 

 pink. 



The 66 observations above recorded refer to tbree orders only 

 of insects, — the Ehopalocera among Lepidoptera, the Syrphidse 

 among Diptera, and the Apidae among Hymenoptera. As far as 

 they go, they would appear to indicate very different degrees of 

 constancy in regard to the species of flowers visited in the dif- 

 ferent groups. 



The 18 observations on Butterflies refer to 6 species : — Fieris 

 Brassiccd and P. Bapce, Polyommatiis Alexis, Cynthia Carchd, 

 HipparcMa Janira, and Vanessa Tlrticce. Of these, the two 

 Whites and the Blue (Obs. nos. 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 23, 24, 42, 48, 

 49, 59) appear to visit different species of flowers in succession 

 without scruple, and in several cases quite regardless of colour, 

 the Alexis paying in one instance 5 successive visits to 5 different 

 flowers of different colours. But in two other cases the same 

 Butterfly showed a marked preference for Lotus corniculatus, and 

 was attracted also by other yellow flowers. Vanessa Urticce was 

 observed only once (Obs. no. 7), and then confining its visits to 

 Senecio Jacobcea. Three observations (Nos. 1, 2, 3) were made 

 on Janira -. in one instance it was visiting the bramble only ; in 

 the two others two different flowers, all yellow. In three obser- 

 vations on Cynthia Carclui (Nos. 11, 12, 13) this brilliant Butterfly 

 was confining its attentions entirely to the two common species 

 of Centaurea, which it was visiting indiff'erently. On the whole. 

 Butterflies appear to manifest but a small degree of constancy in 

 visiting flowers ; the great majority of those on which they were 

 seen to settle were either yellow or pink ; and when beginning 

 with one of these colours^ there seemed a marked tendency to 

 adhere to it. From the very long flights of Butterflies, and their 

 constantly settling on foreign objects, such as grass, the trunks 

 of trees, the bare ground, &c., it may be doubted whether they 

 perform nearly so large a part in the fertilization of flowers as 

 other orders of insects. 



Of the Syrphidse or Hover-flies, two species only were the subject 

 of observation, both very common, Eristalis tenax and SyrpMi/S cly- 

 peata. These insects are large consumers of pollen, and therefore in 

 several cases they were captured, and the contents of the abdomen 

 examined, in order, where possible, to recognize the pollen-grains 



