18 president's address. 



dendron tomentosum is visited by the Spinebill in the daytime, 

 and by hawk-moths in the evening and at night. But while the 

 day-flying moths visit the same flowers as the birds, the night- 

 flying moths would not visit the red flowers, for even by strong 

 moonlight, the red colour would be invisible. The close resem- 

 blance of the moth and the bird is a very interesting example of 

 how similar environment brings about analogous structure, and 

 similar habits in very different organisms. A more curious 

 instance of this is the fact recorded in Knuth(8), that a bat, in 

 Trinidad, pollinates the flowers of a tree, behaving so like a 

 moth that it was mistaken for one. It has a brush-like tongue 

 like a humming-bird. 



The profession of pollinator seems, in the main, to be confined 

 to a few families of birds. In America, the humming-birds 

 (Trochilidce) and sugar-birds (Ccerehidce.) are chiefly concerned. 

 In Hawaii, the Drepauididce (36 spp. in 17 genera) and Melipha- 

 gidoi (5 spp. in 2 genca-a) are the agents. In Australia, we 

 have Meliphagidce {1 2 spp. in 23 genera), and 7 species of brush- 

 tongued Lorikeets. Africa has its iinnhiixh (Ciunyridce) and 

 F\ower-Y>eckers( Dicceidff ). In New Zealand, are the Meliphagid(e 

 and a few parrots. 



But there is no doubt that other birds, at times, pollinate 

 flowers. Whether they visit the flowers in search of insects, or 

 nectar, is not quite apparent. Moseley(6) gives an account of 

 Artamus lencopyg talis being shot, and found to have the bases 

 of their bills clogged with pollen, which, he thinks, they got in 

 searching flowers for insects. But Mr. Musson, in a letter to 

 Mr. Fletcher, i-ecords that numbers of Arfamus personatus, and 

 A. superciliosus visited the flowers of a Beefwood (Grevillea 

 robusta) and fed on the nectar. When some starlings visited 

 the tree, the wood-swallows left, and the starlings began to feed 

 on the nectar in just the same way. I have also been informed 

 by several observers that sparrows probe the flowers of the Coral- 

 tree (Eri/thrina) in the same way that the honey-eaters do. It 

 is probable that closer inquiry into the habits of our birds will 

 result in the discovery that many of them, while not professional 



