1916.] The Pollination of Flowers in India. 245 



Bee-flowers of considerable specialisation. 



In the first of these notes it was shown that Thunbergia 

 grandiflora, Roxb., is very specially fitted for receiving the 

 visits of the largest of the Indian boring bees— Xylocopa latipes, 

 F., and is pollinated by it in Calcutta. Since that note was 

 published I have seen X. talipes on the flowers in other places , 

 e.g. Damdim, Duars (2l-viii-07) ; Bombay and Bassein (26- 

 viii-02) : and in Singapore it is a very regular visitor. Though 

 fruiting is rare in Calcutta for some reason not explained , ripe 

 fruits have been seen there as well as in several other places. 



Other visitors to the flowers which have been observed, 

 are as follows :— HYMENOPTERA. Aculeata. X aestuans, 

 Lep., Calcutta, 9-ix-07, and X. flavonigrescens , Sm., Calcutta. 

 (12-ix-07). LEP1DOPTERA. Rhopalocera. One species, Dam- 

 dim, 2l-viii-07. DIPTERA. Muscidae. Calliphora sp. feeding 

 on pollen, Gauhati, 12-viii-09, and Goalpara, 3-ix-06. 



Curcuma Amada, Roxb., has a flower into which Xylocopa 

 creeps, as into those of Thunbergia grandiflora: and a species 

 of this genus of bees as well as Anthophora zonata, and a third 

 smaller Hymenopteron were observed visiting the blossoms at 

 Dacca (7-v-ll). The Xylocopa had to use force to make its 

 entry into the throat of the flowers and came out of each 

 copiously dusted with pollen. 



Of very different appearance to the last two flowers are 

 those of the genera Cassia and Melastoma.. but the larger 

 are equallv dependent on the Xylocopas for pollination. 



Xylocopa aestuans is a frequent visitor to them. It h as _ been 

 seen on Cassia oceidentalis, Linn., in Calcutta (18vm-01, 

 15-ix-01 30-ix-01), whose flowers expand just before dawn, 

 and close after dusk. On the flowers of Cassia Sophora Linn . , 

 which also close after dusk, have been seen Xylocopa latipes, 



stuans 



F (Nattor, 26-viii-07), A. ac 



26-viii-07; and Anthophora zonata (Calcutta, 30-ix-01). Un the 

 flowers of Cassia Tora, Linn., have been seen Xylocopa latipes 

 (Maynaguri, N. Bengal, 23-viii-08) X. ae^an* (Gauhati 

 9-viii-07 Dipu, Duars, l5-viii-06) and unrecognised species of 

 the genus (Pachuria, Central Bengal, 30-viii-07 ; Kothar under 

 the Akrani Plateau, l-x-09). 



.'* 



Melastoma inalabathricum, Linn. , has neen seen visueu uy 

 Xylocopa ? latipes. (Korokpi, south of Amherst , H and 12-111- 

 08) and X. aestuans (Moulmein, 23-ii-08 ; Jalpaigun, 5-vni-OS). 

 X. latipes is an insect which visits it also m Singapore. 



ted 



latipes at Sadiva, Upper Assam (25-viii-09). 



In settling on Cassias and Melastomas the insects use the 



