272 TROPICAL NATURE, AND OTHER ESSAYS. 



oceanic islands, such as New Zealand and the Galapagos, 

 where ferns, although tolerably abundant, form no such 

 predominant feature in the vegetation, but where the 

 scarcity of flower-haunting insects is almost equally 

 marked, we find a great preponderance of small, green, 

 or otherwise inconspicuous flowers, indicating that only 

 such plants have been enabled to flourish there as are 

 independent of insect-fertilization. In the Galapagos 

 (which are perhaps even more deficient in flying insects 

 than Juan Fernandez) this is so striking a feature that 

 Mr. Darwin speaks of the vegetation as consisting in 

 great part of " wretched-looking weeds," and states that 

 " it was some time before he discovered that almost 

 every plant was in flower at the time of his visit." He 

 also says that he " did not see one beautiful flower " 

 in the islands. It appeal's, however, that Composite, 

 Leguminosse, Rubiaceae, and Solan acese form a large 

 proportion of the flowering plants ; and as these are 

 orders which usually require insect-fertilization, we must 

 suppose, either that they have become modified so as to 

 be self-fertilized, or that they are fertilized by the visits 

 of the minute Diptera and Hymenoptera which are the 

 only insects recorded from these islands. 



In Juan Fernandez, on the other hand, there is no 

 such total deficiency of showy flowers. I am informed 

 by Mr. Moseley that a variety of the Magnoliaceous 

 winter-bark abounds and has showy white flowers, and 

 that a Bignoniaceous shrub with abundance of dark blue 

 flowers was also plentiful ; while a white-flowered Lili- 

 aceous plant formed large patches on the hill- sides. 

 Besides these, there were two species of woody Com- 

 positse with conspicuous heads of yellow blossoms, and 



