•

165

,\I" F.RAGE YIELDS IN GRA::>UmS OF 'J'HE YELT"OIV on TWELVE

MOlSTHS GOIl\BA. YAM. 0 0 0 - o" ~ 0 ~ ~

~:; lC ~ ~ <D • to- . 0. - - ...... 10 ....... "' ...... co .....

lOlt:)O') ...... ~ o. ..... 0. - 0.

Gardens No. and Name. ...... ............ 0) 0. ..... 0. ..... 0> ..... 0':1 0':1 • .-t ...... ...:.c P.. ~ ...... ..... ~:-::: .6 ;:.:<0 .<> ,; ,..

p o . ., .Do< (l)o...:.Z "'Z ~A ~z.; ., ..: ..., A IX<

I II

I , r514f I ;O·!- Tganga.l l alo . ·1 4904 5112 1819 5856

a;Ht Odo .. I 317'5 I 3142 I 2273 3111 :lJ ' . from Paradeniya, I I I

Ceylon .. . . I 1502 I 4915 I 1553 4G62 I I I

,\ VJ.; n.IOE YmT,DS IN GRA.MMES OF DroSCOTIBA DU)m:rOlm~I, PA.X.

Gardens No. and N arne

:Hi. ~fllmka

3U. l!]snra white 346. Esura yellow :314. do. :lR2. Kamfu yellow 392. Kamiu

"" '" ...... ...... 0. 0. ...... 0 ...... '" ~ . _ .D

.; ~

1247

"" ' 0 ...... ...... '" '" ...... 0 ..... .~ ,: .D .,

0 IX< Z

2636 3090 1361

'" '" ..... -< 0. 0. ...... 0 ...... :..i~ ,; '" ., ~ A

1677

'" '" ...... ...... 0> '" ~ 0 ......

. ~ ,; '" '"

Q) ..., A

23'31 6126 1417

G24 794

'" co ...... ..... 0. 0. ..... 0 ...... .~

<> '" ., '" A ...,

2328

'" Cf) ...... -<

'" '" ...... 0 -< . ~

<> '" ., '" A ...,

2063 1180 1123

397 936

co 0. ...... ......

'" '" ..... 0 ..... . =

.D a '" IX< ..:

639

co '" ...... ..... 0> 0> ...... 0 ...... .D ~ ;.; ., "'-IX< ..:

19'79 498

1764 4196

I. H. BUllKTLL

SOME NOTES ON THE POLLINATION OF FLOWERS IN THE BOTANIC GARDENS,

SINGAPORE, AND IN OTHER PARTS OF THE MALAY PEN INSULA.

The daily rouud in the Botanic Gar clens, Singapore, wit h visits of inspection to P enang or to other places in the Peninsula l1!lYc afforded sCllttered opportunities during seven years, of m a:king llotes upon the behaviour of insects in r egard to flowers . These notes will be brought into one view here.

166

APIS .

. Read~r. assu.redly know .wbat an il?portant r?k tbe Hive bee AZJts melltf/ca, Lmn., plays III tbe fertIhsatlOn of flowers in mor' northern d imates. That . dO?Je~ticateu 111J!S is rubsent from tll: :Malay Penlllsula, but AplS tndtca, Fabr., lS present and is Yer' :,i.milar in size and \ray of life; it can be domesticated also. It i plentiJul ill thc P e:niusllla, and is capable of fnlfilling the role o[ . l. mell'ifica in all points in regard to flowers. It is accompanied in }t[alaya by the larger iJ}Jis dOl'Salc!, .Fabr. and tbe lesser l1pis jlol'ea, Fa.br. 1,'be three do yeoman serVlce.

They are cOll1Jnon, commoner than the unobservant think, and flud the whole of their food in flowers, rivalling the honey bee in ililigence, while they raise large broods of young. Beca.use their hunting grounds a:re so often in the tops of high trees, their OCCU. pations are not easily recorded, ancl their work passes unnoticed. except where their numbers happen to be 0 great that they attract attention b~' the hum of their buzzing. Yet it is a common ex· perience to have a ttention drawn to the floweriug of an E11genia, an Elc!eoCC!1'PlIS, a Gmtoxylon, a K1I'ITimia or a Bass'i{l by the sound of inD11Juerable bees as upon lime-trees in flower in Britain.

The different flowers upon which the three species of iJ. pis nave been een are enumerated in the annexed ta.ble. In aclditioll lillidentified species oI ..1 pis h3\'e bcen observed upon flowers of the following :-

G llpa11Jia palliduZCI, 11 iel'll, Bl'yth1-ina litho~pel'ma, Blume, j'oinciana l'egia, Bojer, Tl'istania M wingayi, Duthie,

at Tebong, ~Ialacca. in Penang. lD Malacca. in Penang.

In the P eninsula, iJ.P1S dOl'saia has come uncler observation oftenest as if the most abunclant of tbe three species. It ha been timed to visit the flowers of llntigon1l1n at the ra te of 20 per minute. . lpis vndica at the same time (midclay ou 18 viii. 1916) was observed to visit 30 flowers per minute. On aUl) ther occasion various indivicluals of A pis dOl'saia were seen to vis it, one 20 flowers per minute, another 32 flowers per minute, others inter­mediate lHilllbers (29.1.1916). iJ.pis flol'ea upon the same species was seen to go to 20 flowers per minute.

'1'he rate at which the insects work of comse depends upou the sha.pe of the flowel' ,isited and the numher of flowers close to­gether and the'time of day. It was recorded in the .T ournal of the Asiatic 'ociety of Bengal, :Yo S . ii. 1906, p. 516, that JI pi d01'Sata visited var'ying llumbers of flowers of the jute plant, Gm'chorus capsllZaris, a.t tbe average of 28 per minute. and that iJ.1J1S f/orea 1'1 ited at the rate 10 to 15, which is less that upon Aniigolltim.

At the rate of 25 flowers per minute in eight hours a bee can effect 12,000 pollil!ations, or 1,200 pollinations at the rate of 15, These urc ftgures which gi I'e an idea. of the possible effectiveness of a bee's daily work.

•

H e r e and a ll through un l" s s o therwise stat ed the insects w e r e s ucking honey .

Api s do rsata

Dillcnia indica, Li vo . coll c) .~t i ng po.;cn in Singapore.

Xanlhophyllmll Cu.'rtisU .• K 'ng, in S inga.pore, freely

Apis indica

CWllclli'l, theiJcrfl , Griff. rarely in Singapore. I Durio zibcth'inl£s, D C. in Singapore. ROlLcherirt griffilhiana,. Planch. in Smga.pore, ahun· Er!Jlhrox!Jluln Coca, Lam. abunda.ntly, in Si ngn.pore.

d. l1tl y .

Kl~rr iJ/t'i(t panicnlata, W,d I. in S inga.pore, abundaB tly. Derris lhy1'siflor(t" B entb. in Sing;1.potE', freel y,

P eliolJhol'lL1n jer ntgi1!(J1l>1I1, Bco tL. abanda.u t ly , in Sing;l pore.

PlerocarZ)lts 'indic(f , Willd. freely, in S :n gaporo, Pen ­an,g Rond Port Sw~ttenham: a.lso :~bundan tl y at TltIip ing by m Jonlight at 9 p.m .

Mimosa 2mdica , Li n n . l requent.ly collccting policH, in Singa.pore, Penaog, K uala. L UJUp ur a.nd Port SWt!ttenbam .

. I lbizzia. mOl1tct"alW, Miq. in l::)ingapore.

B1((Jcl~ia (Jrflll(lis, Wight, in S ingapore.

EU(Jcn1(L lincat(L Du t,bie, a.bundan t ly, in S ingapore.

BngCl"ifl mOO/l iana., Wigh t , in Singa.pore.

Dcr ris thY1"si/lora, Benth. in Singapore.

Jlimosa pudica. . L inn .• eve ry now and then, col­lect ing pollen, Singa.pore an d Penang.

Apis tlorea

PittospormlL /erTugincum, Ai t . in Sing a.· pore.

Elaeo,'arpus G1'i,Olthii, l\inst., freely, in Sin gapore.

Pcltopltont1ll jC1"n lgillc1t1IL, B cn th . freely. in Singapo re.

~ , R

Apis dorsata

Pass:flora foel ida, Linn> in Port Swet tenbam.

Tridax l>rocll.'mbens, L inn . in Port Swetteuba.m .

Cosmos sulphw'c'lts, Cav. occasionally, in S illgapole and Ma.lacca..

Fh"zffi,a slenog/ossa, DC. spariflgly. in Singapore.

L ac/tlca. I in Port 3wettenbam.

Jat:gyc11l ontia t'1oiacea, Choisy . in Singapor~.

Antigonon ieptop1lS, Hook. fl?ul A. guatemalense, :Meissn. f reely. in 'Ma'acctlt.

Apis indica

Oldeni(l.1ldia di.Uiusa , Hoxb., rarely, in S ingapore.

B Z1f.lIIerl oa/smm/eTfl , DC., Tampin .

.Jn~·"ut!lIunltitl v iolr cl:a , Choisy, rt'gularl y. in Singa­pore.

AutigOlu)JJ. leptopus, Hook., and A . (J1.w.temalense, Moissn. very freely, in MaJacca and Klang.

C'lj11lbidi,1.tmtin layson·iawmn, Lindl ., rarely I in Singa· I DemlrohiulIl crummatuIlI, Sw. rarely, in Singapore. pore

Cocos 1Uwjl!ra, Linn freely, in Singapore. COLW 1lUcifera, Lin a. in Singapore.

ChrysaHdocarplls bttesI'L'11S".vend l. freel y, in Singst - ! Areuga saccharifi:ra, Labill. in Singapore. pore.

JJicl)losperma albulIl , W. and D. freely, in Singapore. I DicO,osperma niblt1Jt , W. & D ., in Singapore.

Orcodoxa 1'cgia., H. B . K ., in Singstpore.

Apis f10rea

A'Ilticomllt leltoplls" H ook. a.nd A g un/em ­ali'ttst: Meissn., freely I in !\'Ia.laeca..

Zoysia punyens. Willd. collecting pollen in Singapore.

..... 0> CD

169

:lpis however on the palms is overwhelmingl:y J'ollncl on ma le 'C I'S or on flowers m then' male staQ:e, obtaulJlJO' fooel without flo" . ~ "

"i,ing ",bat woutld sl~emt ' to benan afdeguate rf:etnrll. It is also in­, c.tin er to see I co lee 109 po en' rom the ::allen male flo.wers of re~ga"'sctCcha1·ifen{,. This ,,-hich it has of ten been seen to c10 in the }(,Ibl:r Peninsula, h as been -cl escl'ibec1 also f rolIl Calcutta Journal of the Asw l:"c !30cwty of B engal ~. S. ~'11, 1916, p. ~M) . wheTe both Al1tS '{,n(];{,co, and A . ~01 ·e~t. were seen c10ing it ; A.pis . dit:{/. onl.l' has been seen c10lllg It III -S jngapore. Barbosa Roc1-"i"uc (T.Jtls noces des P almiers) , has r econ1ec1 t hat bees visi t fa llen tl;"'er of the palm G Ltl·iellna speciosct in B to c1e Janeiro, ac1cling t1Ult they fly 11p m to the crO·\\'l1 S of the t r·ees subsequently and pll ll inate the femal e flowers. .

.1 pis vndica has heen seen snckiJlg hone,)" from fallen flo\\'er5 of the Dmian, D'lwio zibethil1AIS, DC'., in Si ngapore. Apis donatc£ hilS been obsel'l'ed to go from calyx t o calvx of: Leucas l'inifolia, Spreng .. obtainiu~ hO~l ey after t he corolla had fa llen, an d at the SRmc t imc neglectll1g m tact open f1 o\\'€rs upon the plant· .

[n the b1Jble of the flo IVers visited by Allis indicat ion s are gi l-en III the I'requence or rarity of thc in sects upon the plants named. All orch ids appear to be bu t rarely visited. lJendrobilLln c1'IIInenal ll?n,

, for instunce, de 'pite its conspicllousne' and scent, mrely attracts II bee ; but A.pi" dorsc£lct is well ~ni teil for the polli nation of its ,I ig-Ill!! an c1 has been seen upon onc of the rare occasions 0-[ its visit to do it. Another orchid, Uylltuicl-iullt jinla'!json·ia1Vt£ln, is nl rely visitec1 by A pis clorsatct, but when \-isitec1 the yisits are effec­ti ,·e. Brooke aud H ewett ha "e recorded the in sect as a rarc yisitor 10 the flo,ver in Sarawak, just as it is in Siuga;pore (J oll1·na.1 of 'lhe Straits B-ra:nch of the Royal A.siat'ic Society; ~o. 54, 181, p . 106) . Hidlc.\' in t hat J ourn al, (No. ++, 1905, p. 228) r eco l'ds :-I. pis clo rsala liS H "isitor to Graln1natophyllwn specios lI.1n, HI.

:\:YLO COPA.

Larger than API',s and much more obtrllsi"e, are the Xylocopas, ""'go bees with strong jaws, by which th.ey t unnel i nto dead timber to make their nests. The male are uniJ111)Ortant as pollinators, but the i'fIDlales g-et all their food anc1 the food of t heir young upon lIowers. '1' 11'0 species are common, 'i.e. the large hl3;ck X . la.tipes, I f ,~br., anc1 the 8111a11er yello:w and black T. aestll(WlS, LepeJ. ; a tl,lird .1'. coerulea, LepeJ., is not uncommon.

lylocopc£ latipes is a great robber o"f flowers, which it ra.piclly hite 0llen by meaD S of its jaws, biting 11sually in the middle 1il1e just "bove the calyx at the nearest availahle point for the honey. It has been seen systemati{;ally biting the foll owing flowers :-

! pomoea digita.ta, Linll ., in the Botanic Gardens, Singapore. the plant heing a. nati vc of the Tropi cs generally.

Bignonic£ magnifica, Bull, in Si Il ga,pore, t he plaut bei ng a natiyc of N e,y GTanacla .

170

Tecoma Zellcoxylon, Mart., in the Botanic GaTdens, Singapore. the p lant being a native of the. West Indies.

Jacamnd(~ ov(~l'ifol'ia, R. Br., in Singapore, Tampin, MaJace and ,Tasi n, the tree being a na.tive of South America. t.

dchlegelia pams-itica, Griseb., in SingapoTe, a native of h~ West Indies.

Thttnbm'gia m'ecia, T. Anders., in SingapoTe, a llative of Ea>t Africa.

Asystasia c01'0'l1utnclel1:ana, N ees, in SingapOTe and in Penan~ a native of the East Indies. '

Ruellia mac1'ophylla, Va hI , in Singapore, a natil-e of Sont], America.

When biting the flowers of Asystasia it wOTks at the rate or; to 11 per minute ; and the male insect has been seen doing the mUe along with the female. 'When robbing I pomoea paniculata it teari open the buds ready to ex'pand , an act already descrihed by lVIr. H. r . Hidley iu th.Jot/.1·nal of the S tmits B1'(J;nch of th l Royal A.sin.lie Society, N o ... , 1905, p . 229, as done by i t upon th~' slightly smalJ el' Ipo'moea pa.z.ma.ta., ]Porsk., a specIes also pantro. pieaI.

Tubular flow cr. IIpon 1\"11i('b .L latipes has beeu seC ll to \" i~ it ill the intended way are :-

l?a.gmea fmgnl'ns, Rox b., in Singapore. Fag1'aea, m ce'l1losa, Jack, in P enang. Thllnbm·.q·in g l'Unclif'o1'(~, Hoxb., ill Singapore, P enang and 'l'e-

bong in Malacca. Til IInber.q·ia. lc~'U1··ifolia., Lindl., ill Singapore amI P enang. Entnthl!1lL1l1n 1'et'ic'ulat11m, ·Hort., in SingalJOTe. Ca1',ljopte'ris 'Imllichia.na, ;;chau ., in Singapore.

All these are eastern plmlts, lI'hereas the tubu lar fiO\l"ers which the bee robs are often A merieau. The close connection of t he bee with the hl"o Thunbergias has been remarkecl ill the J ou-mal of the Asi(t/,ic 80ciety of F en-gal. X. 8. ii ., 1906, pp. 5'11-51+ and xjj ., 191G. p . 245 .

~X !fZaGO P(~ tc.tipes seelllS to be the insect most su i tec1 to the lip' side-clown J.eg·lI'Ininosae, all rl in ,'ingapore r egll hrrh v.is its thr fJ owel's 01' :-

C(vllflmlia e'll sifo1'lnis, D C.

C enl1'osl"Ina PIli mie1'i" Bent h .

Appa rent!.\" th eil' i' rui t setting is almost depellclan t upon t he ill SCCt.

J~ lat ipps \"i sits many Legl1minosae wh ich carry their fl olI'er, iu a 1lol'mal way, such as :-

171

Dj~clecL lasio!XL1'pa., Mart., in Singapore, freely. Derris thYl's!:jlom, Benth., in Singapore, rarely. ])olichos LCLbla.b, Linn., in Penang and Butter-worth . ()ajanus vnclious, Sprellg., in Singapore. pterocU1'lJl{S indica, Willd., in Singapore. Pellophwuan f81'1'u,qineu.m, Benth., in Sinl!'a.pore, freely. Cassia eOl'ymbosa, Lam., in Penang. (lassia. alata, L inn., in Penang and at Alar Ga jah. Ca.ssia javanica, Linn., in P enang. Cassia. siam.ea., Lam., in Singapore. Haraca tha.ip·Yn,qensis, Cantl., in Singapol'e, f reely. Stl'raca declinaia, Miq., in Singapore, fl' eel y.

'tLl·tWa l:ndiCfL, Linn ., ill Singapore, freely. It is a particularly busy illsect upon Dioclea, PeUopho1'Um and the Saracas.

It has been recorded as visiting also :­Crato:t;ylon polyanthwn, Korth ., in Singapore. l'terospe1'1l1um. cLce1'if0 l-i'll1n, Willd., in Singaporc. ftdinll!ndm d1l!lnosa, J acl" in Singapore. [{illta .. ge Jlladhabloia, Gaertn., in Singapore. Eug eIYicL zeylam·iea., Wight, in SiJlga.pore. J[elaslol11.(L l1ULlabath'rielllm, J,inn., in Sill l!'a~)or.e, at 'J'ampin and

at AIm Gaj all. 'l'//,rne1'a odomia. Rich ., at Jasin. Jlo1'indcL cii ,:ifol-ia, Ulln., at Tam pill. Lantanu OUtnll!/'{L, Linll., on GOI' CrnmeJlt l-lill, ]Jell<Ulg. G rll!mmatopil ylll{/111 sllecioS'U111-, Bl nme, in ' 'i.llgapmc.

or the e it is commoll and eliligent upon Om to' ·.ljlon particularly. 1f is more of-ten scen on Jlf eZa<;lo'nw maIcLba:tlwiclI.m than the ex­trrmely meagre r etllTll oJ hone,)" wonlel seem to j ustify. On the flower of Gl'cMn'lnatophylln I'n it is ]lot at llOme ; it tri es onc or two and in the writer's experience 600 11 quits the plant ; but ,yhen ohsen'eil by MI'. H. :N . Rid ley, in the JOlll'l1a1 of the St'l'aits lIn {,neh of I,he Royal ri sicLtie S ociei,ll N o. 'f:!, 1905, p. 228, it commonl1' ,isited the flowers, an el by its weight so depressed the lip t hat i t " iet 110t poll ina te th e111 .

It is rather clumsy ulJon thc flowers of 1'u.1·ne1·CL, rarely taking­all the available honey, because it treats the flower as if bi1atera.lly ~.r Il I111etlical. As a consequence of its cOll siel~mble weight the flolI"or noel; when Yi sited, a.nel t he bee then visits eithcr abol'c 01' helm\' the sexual oTgans but not both, anCl cl oes not make a ciTcuit of the :five llcctaries. rrhe polle11 of t he plant llla v th us be call .ght on the bee' back or all t he 11ee's belly : bu t it has been seen that qu ite a sufficient am0'1111t may he carrieel.

Xylocopa aesi.'twms bites flowers just as X . ICLtipes does. It ettles outside a·n el mal,e .a hole in the mielclle 1inc of most of them:

but all Dolichos Lublub it may settle and tlll'lling' to t he left bite a hole n1)0]) the rig-ht side of the calyx wherc t he hon ey is most

172

accessible to its shor t tmlg:ue. .That it shoulel. bite upon the riglli s id e and not upon the leit IS most Interesting ; tor J30 Inb~IS /tae ltlor. hoidalis, i-lmith, a Bumble Bee 0"1 the Himalaya bas been rocord~l (Jol,mal of th e A.< intic 1:!ociety of J3engnl, S". S. ii, 1906, p. 524) liS bitiug upon the right siele of th e coro llas of: a I cutellaria.. 'Ilrh a cl el'elopmollt of a left-hulICleclJloss iu Bees might be iUI'oked to account for tho peculi ar twi. t fo unel in fl owers so elistinct f rOll! one another as D I:clipte1"(, in the Acanthaceae, Ped'ic-ulwris in the 'cro. phlilariac-cae, l'locoglollis in the Orchiclaceae. anc1 others. It hn, heen seen to bite the ca,lyces of: Olit01W, T e1"nc,tea, Li on .. in ~tJ:ala cca, but no record has bec n preserved 01' the position or the bite.

X . c,es/ U(1I/8 ha. been seen using old holes in the flower of Clitoric, cajan'ifo lia, Benth ., in Singapore, hole' whi ch it 111i\ ." hare mad e in an earl ier part of the day, bu t it was not seen at the !Jit in/(. These holes weTe also Oil the right si ]e oj' the floll·er .

It has been seen hiting the folloll"ing fioll"ers in the m id(ll~ ]jne of tho coro lla,-

T Ol'enic, Ji'01I'l"nie1-i, T,inll ell , in Sillgapore, the plant being a na tive of Indo-China.

J3ifJllollin magll'ifiCfl, Bnll, ill Singapore, the plant being a nat ive of ~ell' Granada.

Ha1'le l'ia cristata, Liml ., in Singapore, [he plan t being a native of Inelia.

Rll ellia t~,b e 'l'osc" ]".,i11J1., in M alacca, tbe phnt being a native . of America .

• 1 ' .'Islasia c01'o?llanclel1"nna, X ees, i 11 Sillgapore, P el1>lng, I(uala IJnmpnr, i'l'i.alacca and at T cbong in ~1alaeca . the p lant being Indo-Malayan .

{losec, L oiJiJ'ii Hid l., ill Si ngaporc. the plan t heing a n atil'e of Borneo.

Th e cOllntries 01' the origin ot the flo IVers bittcn by t he two A.l'Jocopas, .t. l({tipes anel Y. cW.' /lIans have been .g iven a1>ol'e after each name.

'i.\: of the plallts are IIative of: the Xew Wodel, and COIl­

sequent]v are nell' sources 01' food which Oil!' gardens pTovide to thcse insects : eight are native of tbe Old World, being one from Afri ca ancl seven frem the Inelo-Ma.laYHn tropics, I

'Like X . ~Mipes, .Y. aes/lwl1$ ha been 'een npOll upside-clown Legl1m i no~ae, but 011 ('amwcll-ic, linectia, DC'. only, and this only at Pangblan Balak upon t he coa. t \rcst of Malaeca.

It pollinate, other L eguminosae. nota h"i y :-Cto /alaria $/tia/IL, D C., all through the Terri tory of ~t[a]flcea,

freely. Derris lityniflo'l"(" Benth., in SingapoTlJ, freely . Phaseolus lllna/.'lIs. TJinn., iJl Singapore, f reely. Pach.yrrh'izlI8 al/glllaills, Bi eh., in S ingapore, J'reely. Peliophoruln ferrllginemn, Benth., ill ::\ingapore, f reely. Pte1'oca'J"I)II S incil:ca, Willc1., in Sil1gapore.

173

I t has already b een rccorded. as a visitor to q rot(t/a:,:ia st1'iatu, ill the / oll'l"l/(/l of the 11sw,t,c SocLety of B engal, ::;, s, Xll, 1916, p .

21 I, Jt yj it. also the following bilaterally s.vmmetrical fl ower:' :-X(LIl-tito ph,ljll'llm C111,tis·i;i, fullg-, in Singa]lore, f reeh, Ifiptage 111adhublot(b, Gaertn ., in S,ingallore, f reely, l[ eiastOllLa malaoa.th 1'icum, Linn ., in SingapoTe, Stachytm'plieta jumaicensis, Scha u., in Sing·apore, ra.ther f ree-

ly, Cole liS J3l'lI'm ei, Benth" 'i Il Singapore. Uram'I1I(,tophylllw~ specios/bm, Blnme, in Si Ilgapore,

Thc rate at which it works upon t,he flowers of Xanlitoph.IJlll'll~ ('urlisili is 20 to 215 flowers per mlilu te, rOn AsystalSla C01'01lW,­tle/iana it was observed in Malacca to go .to 2,5 flowers per minute $OJl1ctimes biting, sometimes llsing old holes,? On .d.ntigonon lep­lopus cliil'erent iudi dduals ha;ve been seen to vi sit, one 20 flO\\"ers pCI' minu te, another 34, another 4~, another 46, @e 50 flO\\"~l:S per nwmte (2. Vlll. 1915) and one 02 fl owers per mlJlu te (8, '1l1.

1919) , .Y. aestllans is not at home upon the flowers 0"£ Gmm41wio­

ph!lllll,ln slleciosLl Ill; but every now ~Uld t hcn it may b~ . een seeking rhei r honey Hllcl generally standu)O" OI L the back of the rolnnm where its yisit is useless to the flower, pushing its tongue over the Rho nlcler of the col11111n . Mr. Bidlev had llOt seen i t to rmllove the pollin ia (JoU1'na,l of the I:3t'ra,i.i.s Branch of the Royul Asia,i'ic 8ociely, )io. 4·1, 1905, p. 228), nor has the "Ti ter.

It bas becn seen to go in consicleTHble llumbers to the c10,,"n-w'l rell y directed flowers of :-

.1 d1~namd1·({' dll moga, Jack, in Si ngaporc .

.Ifinwsops EZen.gi, I,inn., in Singapore .

. l,·disia, hwnil-is, Valli .. ill SingapoTe. IIlld also to the follow ing :-

('l eome heptuphylla,. Linn" in Sillgapore. Hibiscus sc/i 'izo peial'us, H ook. :1., at '1'8mpin, collecting pollen. ('onnanls semiileca.nd1"l18, Jack, in Singapore. Jfimosa. pudiea, l ~inu., ill Singapore and at T ehong . Malaecn.

collecting pollen . Eugenia l-i:neaia, Duthie, in Singapore. R'nglJ'lviu zeylmllicu, Vlight, in S ingapore. Passillom foetidu, LUllJ., in S ingapore. Passil/om mddianu, DC., in Malaeea and in Tampin. Tll1"ne'm ul1nifolia, Linn ., ill SillgapoTe. 1'11'1'1W1'U odm'uta, Bi ch ., 'in Jas in , 'freeh ' . ('081)1.0S sulph1l1·e/l." ('a l' ., in Malueea, .1[orin(/(, cit.·ifolia, Liml ., in Jasin. Ji'agraea. 1"Uce1JlOS(b, Jack, in P enang. FeM'eet 'lJol1t1n:l'i", ].J.inn ., in Penang, freek Buckingitam'ia ceZ.siss i'IILa , F . v. MucH., ill Singapore, freq uently. Antigonon Ze7Tto puS, Hook., in Malaeca, f requen tly. Antigonon g1{(,temaZe118e, Meissn" in ~Ialacca .

174

It is unsuited for poll inatinp: l'assi flol'as, pH sing under th anthers in making a circuit of the flower . It has been seen seekin e honey in Tain upon the flowers of Solanum ind·iclun, Linn. g

XJIlocopa coel'ulec~ is a much rarer insect than X. la.t·ipe 0

X . ctest'uans. It seems to show a prcfereJl{!e for flowers which fa~ earthwards, and in Singapore has becn seen chiefly upon Adimandra dU1I!osa, Jack, frOUl which it Hppcars just able to extract the honey. T he angry buzz' \\'hi ch it often givcs in tbe attempt would appear likeh to call. e loose pollen to fall I1p011 It. It VI its in Singwpore al so Jl im,lI so ps mengi, Linn . On GoVel'J1(11cllt Hill ]'enang, it has oeell seen at 2000 .feet upon .d d·inctnd'ra dlllnosa. It has been secn neal' Tpoh upon the yer." cliJIerently clispo ed flower' of L(~n/an(t Uallwm, Liun.

An undetcnninecl .Yylocofia has I?~en seen 011 ritex i rifolia, Linn. £., near Tampin, ;;ucking hone,)' (27. vii. 1915) .

AXTlIOl'TlOH .\.

.-l nlhoplwra zOlla/(~, Linn., \\'hich is a bee smaller thHn the above namec1 species of .Yylocopa, hut largcr than the species of l1pis, has been seen U1Jon the flowers of :-

De1'l'i,~ Ihyrsiflora, Benth., in Singapore. Jl-imosa pudica, Linn .,. collecting pollcn at Ipoh . . 1 rdi.<ia Inl'llli/i.,. Yahl , in S inO'a.pore. :": lacluI/aa'ph ela jamw.icensis, chau., in lpoll. 8lach.'Jlil.1'phela '/1l1//ab'ilis, r ah l, on Ciovernmeut Hill, P enal1g.

MEL I PCl:'U .

The little bees of the genus .l l elipolt(~ are excess il'el.v comillon in the :\1a1a\' l'enin ula, pcrha,ps in grcatcr numbers t han AfJis. They get their fooel off flowers, making nests in holes with II

resinous lining; they may be ,een at coagul ating latcx sometimes t rying to earl'y it ofr for their home .

:llcl ipona havc been ccn upon thc following flowcrs :­J) illel1'ia indica, T,inn ., in Si ogapore, collecting pollen. J 1/1 pal iens Ridleyi, H ook. f., in Kuala LUl11 pur. IJI"ritie'I'U '!nacro ph.'Jlla, WaU ., in Singa pOTe, at honey mid col·

lccting pollen. Derris Ih!Jrsiflol'(J, Benth., i!l Singa.pore. C".'sia, jist'ltla, Linn., in Si ll gapoTe, collecting pollcn . .1/ imo.sa plidica, Linn., in Penang, collecting poll en . .11 elaslo'/l1(~ m.nla,bathl·iclI'In, Linn., i n Singf\.pore and in P en3ng,

collecting pollen. Me/as/oma decemfidmn, Jack, in P enang, (·o \lecting pollen. J3aech(~ fl 'lItescens, Linn., on Governmcnt .Hi ll, PClJang . ..1 nz.isia hUII/il'is, Vahl, in Singapore. Lanlann CUII/O/ra" Linn., at Tan jong ::\ialim. ThoUea gnl:nd'ijlol'U, Hottb., all Gnnong Tampin, cull ecting

pollcn once onl}.

175

A n#gonon leptopus, Hook., in Malacca. Dict.¥oSpM'ma album, W. & D., in Singapore. Oreodoxa 1'egia, H. B. K., in Singapore Sipa fructicans, .Thull'b., at Port Swettenham, collecting

pollen. ('ocos nucifera, Linn., in Singapore. Ilomalohem,a coe1'ulescens, Jungh., in the Selandar forest,

Malacca, imprisoned in closed spathes. Upon the flowers of such plants as Oassia and Melastoma, as it

,.isil the stamens only, it does no good in the way of pollinating them.

Small undetermined Apiids have been seen upon:­.1Je/astoma malabatlwicum, Linn., in Singapore. !'e/1'ea 1'ugosa, H. B. & K., in Singapore. Asystasia tmvanc01'ica, Bedd., in Singapore. :I s¥sta&ia c01·oma.ndeliana, N ees, in Singapore and Malacca. ! p~moea lJes-capme, Sw!'e( on Pulau TilUnal). Mimosa pudica, Linn., at Batang M,alaka, Ma1acca. :I nt-i.qonon lelJtopUS, Hook., in Malacca and KIang.

VESPIDAE.

\Va ps often eat as much animal food as vegetable food, and therefore are less useful to flowers than the bees. The big Vespa rille/It, Fabr., to which Mr. Ridley ascribes the pollination of Grammatophyllum specios11m (Joumal of the Stmits Bmnch of the Royal Asiatic Society, No. 44, 190&, p. 228) goes to flowers at times for honey, and 'at times to prey on bees. The writer has never seen it pollinating any orchids, but has seen it sucking honey upon the flowers of 1'itis in Penang and of A ntigonon leptopus in )lulacca.

Other wasps have been seen upon the flowers of M01-inda citri­fol ia, Linn., near Tampin, and Scyphiphom hyd1'ophyllacea, Gaertn., at Port Swettenham, on Baeclcia f1'utescens, Linn., at I'enung, and on Embelia dasythY1'sa, Miq., near Alor Gaja:h.

"BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS.

Flowers particularly suited for fertilisation by butterflies have not cOllle under observation to any great degree. Among the fol­lowing, only I~om aq,d Scyphipho1'a are really suited.

liJugenia lineata, Duthie, many butterflies in Singapore. M IIssaenda M-ylMophylla, Sch., a Papilio, in Singapore. hom mac1'othY1'sa, B. & T" a Papilio, in Penang, l' 81'onia cinM'ea, Less" Lycaenids, in Singapore. Roupellia gmt(b, WaIL, a Hesperid, in Penang. Lantana Oamm'a, Linn" two or three species of butterflies at

Tanjong Malim.

176 '

Stachyta1'pheta jamaicenis, Schau., thr!,,!! 9utterflies in Pen811g and Malacca.

A systasia c01'omandeliana, N ees, a Lycaenid, in Singapore. ,'cyphiphom hyd1'ophyllacea, Gaertn., II butterfly, at POrt

Swettenha'ln. . .'

D'l"acaena f1'agmns, Ker-Gawl., a Hesperi'd, in -Singapore.

The observation of a Hesperid trapped in a flower of Di1l1a den~a Harrisii recorded in this B'ulletin,I, No. 10 p. 3·?5'. was mad; agam upon ApI'll 4th 1917, the speqes of, Hespend being th same. ' . .. . e

Flies such as Syrphids and Muscids are at times quite COOl. mon on open flowers . .

S'uN-BIRns. ,' ..

Bird fertilisation is much less common· in the tOPte~ of the Old World than in the ·troprics of the New. However there is ODe little sun-bird, which visits flowers in the Peninsula commonh llamely Oyrtostomu,s pectomlis, Horsf. · ·' .•

In the Botanic , ardens, Singapore it has been seen upon the following flowers:- .

. Hibiscus Rosa-sinensis, . Linn., and its garden hybrids, com. monly.

Samca thaipingensis, Cantley. Dipladenia H al'risii, Hook., taking, ad vantage of holes made by

squirrels in th~ swollen base of the corolla-tube . . Russelia j1lnCea, Zucco R Esselia sa1'mentosa, J acq. Cle?'odend1'on Thomsonae, Balf. Dend1'obium semtndum, Wall. . Canna, garden hybrids. Dictyospe1'ma alb'wm., W. &' D.,' possibly eating small insect

Elsewhere it has been seen upon Erythrina lithospm'ma, Blume, (Batang Malaka, 30. i. 1916) and on Stachyta1'pheta mulabilu (Government Hill, Penang, 31. vii. 1917).

" ,Bird~visits to the flowers' of Hibiscus are well known, alld they a.pp.ell'· effectively to pollinate the f1.owers. Birds are r .. corded as visitors in Zanzibar; India and Java to them. Russeila juncea has been recorded as bird-visiied in India, and Canna a. bird-visited in South America and South Africa.

Tl~e common MiLlayan squirrel, sometimes goes to fjowe~s that offer plenty of sweetness such as Erythrina or DU1-iO, where th' destruction done is out of all proportion to the good .

1. H. BURKILL.