grisea Liebm. At Beulah, in the Canadian zone (prox. 8000 

 feet), the oaks were Q. Gambelii Nutt, and Q. UtaJiensis (A. 

 DC.) Ryd. The new oak is named after Dr. Rydberg, who has 

 made it possible to study the Rocky Mountain oaks with some 

 satisfaction. The type of Qiiercus Rydbcrgii is in the N. Y. 

 Botanical Garden herbarium. 



T. D. A. COCKERELL. 



East Las Vegas, New Mexico. 



Insect Visitors of Scrophularia leporella Bicknell. — 

 Some years ago when this common and widespread species was 

 considered, along with Scrophularia Marylandica, as merely a 

 variety of the Eurasian Scrophularia nodosa of Linnaeus, I had 

 several patches under observation with especial reference to their 

 cross-fertilization by insects. 



Our plants, as is well known, are proterogynous, and Lub- 

 bock * states that Scrophularia nodosa is fertilized by wasps, the 

 honey being distasteful to bees, thus accounting for the stigma 

 becoming functional first, as wasps usually work downward on a 

 flower-cluster. This was distinctly not the case with our species, 

 for of the few insects identified f five (z. e., Bombus consimilis 

 Cress., Apis mellifica L., Halictus ligatus Say, Andre na sp., and 

 Augochlora humeralis Patton) were bees and only three (z. e., Vespa 

 macidata L., Vespa vulgaris L., and Polistes pallipes St. Farg.) 

 were wasps, and of these the Bombus was the most abundant. 

 While the genera Halictus, Andrena, and Augochlora contain 

 short-tongued bees they seemed to have no trouble in working 

 the Scrophularia blossoms. Several other unindentified species 

 were also observed visiting these flowers. I am not familiar with 

 the current view as to whether wasps work downward on flower- 

 clusters, but the above species most certainly did not in my ex- 

 perience. 



It is interesting to note the admirable manner in which the 



economy of the flower is arranged for insect fertilization, the 



corolla forming a veritable saddle for the insect. The style in 



the young flower curves upward and leaves but a narrow space 



* Flowers, Fruits, and Leaves, p. 16. 



f Identifications by Professor John B. Smith. 



