764 FERTILISATION OF SOME AUSTRALIAN AND OTHER PLANTS, 



grains have become more aggregated, and it is visited regularly 

 by Bomhus terrestris." 



I have been fortunate enough to find a head of P. lanceolala at 

 Mount Kembla which shows a further stage in the evolution of 

 the entomophilous from the anemophilous condition. The plant 

 was growing in a bare exposed situation, and as usual under such 

 conditions the scape was short— about 5 cm. in length, the usual 

 height being 20 to 40 cm. The scape was growing almost 

 horizontally from the centre of the leaves, curving up slightly in 

 the last 2 or 3 cm. The flowers presented the usual structure in 

 all but one point. Instead of the u.sual very long and slender 

 filaments, 7-10 mm., the anthers seemed to be sessile (fig. 6). 

 Closer examination showed that they had short filaments (about 

 1-5 mm.) which were entirely hidden in the tube of the flower 

 The anthers were very full of pollen, but I could see no difference 

 between them and those of flowers with long filaments on other 

 plants. The flowers were proterogynous as in the ordinary form, 

 and in the second stage the stigma was red, withered and either 

 hidden in the centre of the four anthers or lying closely pressed 

 between them and the petals. The anthers were very easily 

 detached. 



Although this was probably an accidental variation, yet it 

 marks the line along which the evolution of entomophilous flowers 

 might proceed in this species. Such a condition might well 

 conduce to a number of heads being fertilised by bees with pollen 

 from the new form, and the variation might thus be perpetuated 

 for a generation. If the new race had any advantage from the 

 altered structure, it might become fixed and so another step 

 towards truly entomophilous flowers would be taken. 



Plantago varia, E.Br. — This, like the other species of the 

 genus, is proterogynous. the stigmas in the lower part of the head 

 protruding from the closed flowers first (fig. 7) and the higher 

 flowers successively following the same course. After a time the 

 petals open and the stamens come out (fig. 8). The petals have 

 a c'ood deal of crimson on the centre line and all round the throat 

 of the tube, and the calyx-segments have apical spots of the same 



