370 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. [VoL. XXXIV. 
believe it an analogy which does no violence to the truth if we 
compare a clump of the flowers to a business block in a city. 
Those whose business is there go about so automatically one 
might think they see nothing, while strangers have to stop and 
read the signs; and the rapidity with which the stranger will 
learn to feel at home will depend, not alone upon the persist- 
ency of his presence there, but also upon his mental adaptabil- 
ity to such knowledge. 
B. Mononycnus (the Flag Weevil and its Train).— This 
weevil wastes the nectar inordinately. It stands on the out- 
side of the nectary and, with its beak, sinks a shaft into the 
nectariferous tissue, nibbles a little, makes another hole, and 
another and another, until the nectar is left flowing from many 
punctures, attracting swarms of insects of all sorts. One is 
shown in Fig. A of the plate, together with a number of its 
attendants. It is no uncommon thing to find the ovary almost 
covered with insects following in the wake of the weevil, collect- 
ing the sap it has set flowing. The muscids are most numer- 
ous; I have seen a weevil making a puncture with three flies 
facing him and one on his back, all trying to get their probos- 
cides to the puncture, crowding one another like pigs around a 
trough. During hours of sunshine, competition is so keen that 
insects with proboscides to insert into the beetle punctures 
(Muscide, Capside, Pentatomidz, etc.) seem to have a decided 
advantage. I have seen the following feeding at the weevil 
punctures : 
Muscidz, abundant, of a number of common species. 
Capsidz, abundant, especially the first named : 
Pecilocapsus goniophorus Say, in four varieties. 
Pecilocapsus affinis Reut. 
Calcoris rapidus Say. 
Lygus pratensis Linn. 
Pentatomida, very common. . 
Euchistus ictericus Linn. 
Euchistus tristigmus Say. 
Podisus spinosus Dall. 
Coccinellida, common. 
Megilla maculata DeG. x 
Hippodamia 13-punctata Linn. 
