28 



and Mexico some of the hawk-moths have tongues several 



inches long. 



_,,. J a ^4 So far as diet, and visitation are con- 



Plies and Beetles. 



cerned the flies are very important in 

 the pollination of flowers. The most important are drone 

 and syrphus flies. Many of these sptcies depend on nectar 



FIG 15. 

 Fig. 15. Flies. Beginning from the left, bumble-bee ily (Bnmbyliua major). 

 natural size. Empis Uvlda, 4 times enlarged. Syrphus fly (Syrphus). (From 

 Behrens' text book) . 



and p>)llen. Their adaptations are such as to allow them to 

 .collect honey and pollen. Rhingia and Eristalish&ve a com- 

 plicated mouth structure. The bee-flies {Bombylius) are also 

 provided with a complicated sucking apparatus. (Fig. 15). 

 In flying they carry their probosces forward and ready for 

 action. They have the power of detecting concealed nectar 

 in flowers in a most marked degree. Thrips enter all sorts 

 of flowers, which they are enabled to do on account of their 

 small size. They feed on both pollen and honey. (Figs. 12 

 and 13). 



Beetles in some cases show adaptations to utilize nectar 

 and pollen, but there is a very marked difference in species 

 and sub-orders. "None of our native plants," says Herman 

 Mueller, -'are fertilized exclusively or mainly hy Coleopter a." 

 The large genus Meligethes, which are small insects and can 

 creep into most flowers, is of much importance in pollinat- 

 ing flowers. In flowers where the honey is exposed (Cornus, 



