116 
LOCK : ECOLOGICAL KOTES 
During the morning, while the flowers were open, they 
were visited by bees in great numbers. Among these the 
two species Apis indica, Fahr., and Melipona canifrons, 
Smith , constituted an overwhelming majority. The only 
other forms observed were a few examples of Halictus 
taprobane, and a single specimen of Allodape sp., a genus 
not previously recorded from Ceylon. The only other 
insects of any kind observed to actually visit the flowers were 
one specimen of an hemipterous insect, Riptortus linearis, 
and a solitary syrphid fly which was not captured. 
On a dull morning three flowers of the short-styled form 
received in a quarter of an hour eight, seven, and seven visits 
respectively from Apis and Melipona. In full sunshine 
the visits were very much more frequent. The number of 
flowers open at one time on six plants covering an area of 
about four square yards amounted to over 300. 
Apis appeared to be the most efficient worker. This bee 
often collected simultaneously honey and pollen from the 
long-styled form, whereas thesmaller Melipona seemed unable 
to do so. In collecting honey from the short-styled form Apis 
usually, but not always, stood with its back to the stamens and 
stigmas ; it invariably worked right round the flower, pro¬ 
bing each of the five nectaries in turn. Pollen was collected 
from the short-st} led form in a separate process, the bee 
alighting actually upon the anthers. Each of these processes 
was usually carried out by the same bee in a series of flowers 
of the same form. And, especially in the case of the short- 
styled form, the bee often visited a long series of flowers, 
discarding the other form and collecting pollen only from 
the long stamens. And this was the case when, as often 
happened, the two kinds of flowers grew side by side owing to 
the intermingling of the branches of separate plants. Honey, 
on the other hand, was often collected from either form 
indifferently. Melipona began its visits earlier than Apis, 
and was often to be seen crawling down into the flower 
whilst the corolla was still rolled up into a narrow tube 
just wide enough for entrance. 
