108 • Mr. J. McClelland on Indian Cyprinidae. 



less forms an important article of food, as does also the honeyed 

 secretion found in so many flowers, and are both the induce- 

 ments which bring them so many visitants. The chief use of 

 honey in the oeconomy of a plant I conceive to be to allure 

 insects for the purpose referred to. 



The last provision to which I shall advert, consists in the 

 amazing number of pollen granules produced by most flowers. 

 In a single blossom of Leontodon Taraxacum I counted no 

 less than 243.600 pollen granules. A flower of Paeony fur- 

 nishes on an average 174 stamina, each containing 21,000 

 granules; these multiplied together give a total of 3,654,000 ; 

 and in an entire Rhododendron plant the pollen grains amount- 

 ed to the wonderful number of 72,620,000. This last result 

 was arrived at by computing the number of anthers in each 

 flower, with the contents of one, and the number of flowers 

 and bunches. Great as these amounts are, they sink into 

 comparative insignificance when contrasted with the myriads 

 produced by a single forest tree. A bulrush gave 14-4 grs. by 

 weight of pollen. Immense as the quantity of pollen is, pro- 

 vided for the fertilization of each flower, it is yet all necessary, 

 so much being destroyed by various instrumentalities, to en- 

 sure the certainty of a process, the failure of which would be 

 attended with such calamitous results. Nature is seldom 

 uselessly prodigal of her resources. 



It is interesting to observe the relation which frequently 

 exists between the quantity of pollen and the more or less di- 

 rect means of its application to_the stigma ; this relation, how- 

 ever, is modified by the number of ova to be fertilized. Upon 

 this subject I hope shortly to make some detailed observa- 

 tions. 



Various particulars referred to in the foregoing pages will 

 be exhibited in the figures which are to accompany the second 

 portion of this communication. 



[To be continued.] 



XIV. — Indian Cyprinidae. By John McClelland, Assist- 

 ant Surgeon Bengal Medical Service. 



[Continued from p. 46.] 



24. The Opsarions are Cyprinida that live upon other spe- 

 cies of their own class ; they are no less remarkable for the 

 peculiarity of their colours than for their remarkable structure 

 and habits. Instead of the longitudinal stripes of the Peri- 

 lamps, they are characterized by transverse bands or spots, 

 having a tendency to form cross bars on the sides. The ana- 

 logy between the structure and character of the Opsarions 



