106 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [March. 1910. 



nor so late. A Pie rid butterfly was also seen on the flowers in 

 the broad sunlight. 



A few further observations from Asirgarh and the Melghcit. 



The following observations are all, additional to the above, 

 that I could make over twenty-six days spent almost entirely 

 in the open. They show how few insect- visitors can be observed 

 in the Satpura hills at the season of my tours : and they 

 suggest that the scarcity of visitors to crops like cotton grown 

 under the Melghat is due to the poverty of the country side in 

 flower- visiting insects. At the time of my tours in the Melghat, 

 few trees were in flower, but under the trees occurred sporadi- 

 cally the large blossoms of several species of Barleria, a Strobilan- 

 ihes, other Acanthacese, Crotalarias, etc. ; and in other places 

 an abundance of Indigo f era glandulosa, Tridax procumbens, 

 Ageratum conyzoides, and Impatiens balsamina ; while on the 

 plateaux Linum, Tradescantia, Pimpinella, Senecio, etc., were 

 in flower — flowers sufficiently conspicuous to attract many in- 

 sects in Britain , during an equal period. 



Xylocopa fenestrate, Bingham, was seen in Asirgarh (25 — 26. 

 ix. 08) at honey on Celosia cristata, Linn., and Zinnia elegans, 

 J acq. ; and X. aureipennis, Lepel., in the Sipna valley (10 — 13. 

 x. 08) on Anisomeles ovata, R. Br., Crotalaria albida J Heyne, 

 Sopubia delphini folia, G. Don, and Celosia cristata, Linn. 



Megachile anthracina, Smith, which is a somewhat similar 

 insect, was seen in the Ban valley (19. ix. 09) in great numbers 

 on Crotalaria juncea, Linn., and also freely on flowers of Sesbania 

 aculeata, Pers. Anthophora zonata, Bingham, was seen abund- 

 antly on flowers of Leucas urticcefolia just where the Ban 

 river debouches on to the plains (22. ix. 09) : the association of 

 this insect with small labiates is noticed in Lefroy's Indian 

 Insect Life (Calcutta, 1909, p. 222). Apis florea, Fabr., on 

 the pass near Ghatang (10. x. 08) visited in great numbers for 

 honey the flowers of Kydia calycina f Roxb., and in the Ban 

 valley (19. ix.09) it was seen in hundreds on the greenish-white 

 flowers of Aspidopterys cordata, A. Juss., which smell like 

 those of Sambucus nigra, Linn. 



Apis dor sata, Fabr., was seen In the Sipna valley collect- 

 ing pollen on the anthers of Andropogon contortus, Linn. (17. 

 x. 08). No other Apiids were seen on flowers. 



Of butterflies numbers were seen on the flowers of Celo- 

 sia cristata, Linn., in all parts of the hills north of Ellichpur 

 and in Asirgarh (25. ix— 08. x. 18). They included species of 

 Papilio, Danais and Parnara. 



Papilio ?polytes, Linn., was seen also on the flowers of 

 Zinnia elegans in Asirgarh (25 — 26. ix. 08) and a Sphingid was 

 seen on Ipomcea coccinea, Linn., in the Sipna valley (17. x. 08). 



