Note 65 — APPENDIX B. An Examination by Mr. Fletcher Moulton of Mr. Wallace's Calculation touching the Possibility Of Physiological Selection ever acting alone.

In this anticipation Mr. Moulton is right. The well-known botanist, Mr. Bennett, read a most interesting paper on the subject before the British Association in 1881. His results have since been corroborated by other observers. In particular, Mr. R. M. Christy has recorded the movements of 76 insects while visiting at least 2,400 flowers. (Entomologist, July 1883, and Zool. Journal Lin. Soc., August 1883.) The following is an analysis of his results. In the case of butterflies, in twelve observations on nearly as many species, there are recorded altogether 99 visits to fifteen species of flowers; and of these 99 visits 94 were constant to the same species, leaving only 5 visits to any other, or second species. In the case of the hive-bee, there were 8 individuals observed: these visited altogether 258 flowers, and all the visits paid by the same individual were paid to the same species in each of the eight cases. Lastly, as regards bumble-bees, there were altogether observed 55 individuals belonging to four species. These paid altogether 1751 visits to 94 species of flowers. Of these 1751 visits, 1605 were paid to one species, 131 to two species, 16 to three, 6 to four, and 1 to five. Adding all these results together, we find that 75 insects (butterflies and bees) visited 117 species of flowers: of these visits, 1957 were constant to one species of flower; 136 were paid also to a second species, 16 also to a third, 6 also to a fourth, and 1 also to a fifth. Or, otherwise stated, while 1957 were absolutely constant, from such absolute constancy there were only 159 deviations. Moreover, if we eliminate three individual humble bees, which paid nearly an equal number of visits to two species (and, therefore, would have ministered to the work of physiological selection almost as well as the others), the 159 deviations become reduced to 72, or about four per cent. of the whole.—G. J. R.