186 MR. R. M. CHRISTY ON THE METHODIC HABITS 



.On the Methodic Habits of Insects when visiting Flowers. By 

 Egbert Miller Christy. (Communicated by Alfred "W. 

 Bennett, F.L.S.) 



[Read March 1, 1883.] 



The following results of a series of observations are laid before 

 the Society, as a factor to assist in the solution of the important, 

 although hitherto somewhat neglected, question as to the extent 

 to which insects confine their visits to one species of flower on one 

 fliglit. 



The perusal, in 1881, of Mr. Bennett's paper " On the Constancy 

 of Insects in their Visits to Flowers ' '* first led me to pay attention 

 to the matter ; and I hope that my altogether independent observa- 

 tions will be found to supplement and corroborate his. Throughout 

 all my observations I have endeavoured to adopt a method of 

 procedure precisely identical with that described by Mr. Bennett. 

 I regret that some of my earlier observations were not made so 

 systematically as the later ones, and that I have been unable to 

 distinguish between nearly all of the various species of Humble- 

 Bee and between some of the species of plants. 



Altogether I am able to record the movements of 76 insects 

 whilst engaged in visiting at least 2400 flowers. It is not my 

 intention to lay the details of each observation before the 

 Society: these I hope to publish elsewhere f; but instead, I 

 have been induced to condense the observations in the subjoined 

 tabular form. In some respects this is preferable, as the eye 

 more readily appreciates at a glance and elicits those points 

 whence ultimate conclusions are drawn. 



Of the following three Tables, the first relates to the Hive- 

 Bee, the second to all the species of Lepidoptera, and the 

 third to all the species of Hlimble-Bee which have been under 

 observation. The Tables are all arranged upon one plan. The 

 first column gives the number of the observation, the second the 

 name of the insect, and the third the number of different plant- 

 species which it visited. The next three columns show the number 

 of times the insect visited each species (the highest numbers 

 coming first), and the succeeding column shows the total number 

 of flowers of all species visited whilst the insect was under obser- 



* Read before the York Meeting of the British Association, 1881. 

 t See 'Entomologist,' July 1883, vol. xvi. p. 145. 



