1916.] The Pollination of Flowers in India. 247 



Passiflora foetida. Linn. , which is freely visited by Xylo- 

 copa aestuans , has its flowers open for still shorter hours than 

 the preceding species ; they expand before dawn and may wither 

 as early as 9 a.m., al! the stigmas having been pollinated (Cal- 

 cutta, 13-viii-01). Anthophora zonata (Calcutta, 13-ix-Ol) and a 

 skipper, Theckla sp. (Calcutta, ll-viii-01) were observed also 

 to suck honey, but not to move all round the flower as X. 

 aestuans does. 



Petch in the Annals of the Royal Botanic Gardens , Peradeniya 

 (v, i914, p. 538) has remarked that Xylocopa pollinates Calotro- 

 pis in those Gardens. Similarly X. latipes has been seen by me 

 on Calotropis procera, R. Br., at Jajpur, Orissa (27-viii-06), 

 X. aestuans at Bankipur (l-vi-07), and undetermined species 

 of Xylocopa at Pachuria, Central Bengal (30-viii-04), and Bilas- 

 pur in the Sutlej Valley (13-V-06). In addition Elis thoracica 

 P., a Hymenopteron, has been seen on flowers at Arrah (8- 

 vi-07), and a Sphex at Dalsing Sarai, Tirhut (20-V-07) : and 

 at Patiala in the Panjah I caught Polistes hebraeus, F., (22 iv- 

 07) with seven pollinia adhering to its tarsi in such positions 

 that its efforts at removing them with its mandibles were 

 unsuccessful. An individual of Elis thoracica caught at Arrah 

 had the tarsi of the fore and mid legs covered with the pollinia. 



The flowers have been observed to open at various hours 

 from 10 a.m. to midday (Myingyan, 12 to 15-ii-04) but it may 

 be that they also open at other times. 



Daemia extensa, R. Br., another Asclepiad, but differing 

 from Calotropis markedly in possessing pendulous flowers, has 

 been seen to be visited by Papilio polytes, L., (Jamod, 25-ix- 

 09). But visitors more efficient than butterflies should be 



sought. 



Xylocopas visit some of the larger Crotalarias well. They 

 have been seen in great numbers on the flowers of Crotalana 

 juncea, Linn., thus— Xylocopa latipes at Kyauktaw, Arakan 

 (7-i-07); X. aestuans at Barnes junction (6-vm-O/); A. ? fenes- 

 trate at the same place <6-viii-07) ; and X. spp. near Calcutta 



(l-ix-01). 



On Crotalaria striata, DC, has been seen X. aestuans 



at Barnes junction, X. % fenestrate, F., at Barnes junction (6- 

 viii-07), and X. sp. at Poradaha, Central Bengal (ll-vni-07). 

 X. aestuans has been seen also on the flowers near Tampin 

 in the Malav Peninsula (23-viii-l 4). 



Petch says (I.e.) that Xylocopa visits Crotalaria 



Am., at Hakgala, Ceylon 



Other visitors also go to the flowers, and I have recorded 

 a Bombylid on those of C. juncea (Calcutta, l-ix-01). and a 

 Vespid on those of Crotalaria hirta, Willd. (Kasod, Berar, 17- 

 ix-09). 



Wal 



