b THE ZOOLOGIST. 



instance, feed on the nectar, but certainly neither it nor Phyllo- 

 scopus, at their subsequent visits, does anything more than search 

 for insects. 



Since the foregoing observations were written I have had the 

 opportunity of making fresh investigations on this subject in 

 Algiers. 



In the garden of the Hotel St. George, Mustapha Superieure, 

 a number of good-sized shrubs of Abutilon were found in full 

 flower. These were of several varieties. At the time of my 

 arrival I examined them all carefully. On March 12th, 1894, not 

 a single flower had its calyx torn, and though I watched diligently 

 I could not discover, either in this or the adjoining gardens, any 

 Blackcap or other Warbler. Nor were there any species of Bombus 

 visiting the flowers. Hive-bees were there in profusion, but they 

 did not, as a rule, enter the flowers, as they could probe the 

 nectary through the openings at the base of the petals. On one 

 plant, however, where the flowers were large and well formed, 

 they did enter in the usual way. A few days later, at the Jardin 

 d'Essai, numbers of Blackcaps were seen, and I found a good- 

 sized bush of Abutilon on which all the calyces were torn, just 

 as had been observed in the Grand Canary. 



The reason why those in the garden of the " St. George" were 

 not torn was apparently that, owing to the cold wet weather 

 which had lately prevailed to an unusual degree, there were 

 scarcely any insects to be seen. Even the ants, the nests of which 

 were abundant, did not stir abroad, and were not to be seen on 

 the plants or trees. It was not until finer weather set in, on 

 March 23rd, that the warblers put in an appearance. On 

 this day the Blackcap, Garden Warbler, and a Paras closely 

 resembling P. tenerifce, were seen. The first of these was observed 

 tearing the calyx of Abutilon, which had hitherto shown no trace 

 of laceration ; a day or two subsequently nearly the whole of them 

 were torn on all the trees, with one exception. This was a large, 

 coarse-leaved variety with yellow flowers, which I found entirely 

 devoid of nectar. For some unexplained reason the Bombus did 

 not visit this plant. 



The Garden Warbler, when first noticed, was busily engaged in 

 creeping up the flower-spikes of Gladiolus {Antholyza) ethiopicus, 

 which is very abundant in most of the gardens in Algiers. 

 Beginning at the lowest flower, it was seen to pick out a small 



