president's address. 13 



must be an early riser. Both insects and birds go to work in 

 the early morning, when their appetites are sharpest, and when, 

 perhaps, a larger supply of nectar, secreted during the night, is 

 available. 



There are a good many general points which would reward 

 research. There is some difference of opinion as to whether 

 insects notice colour, or are attracted by it. But, personally, I 

 consider that the point is beyond dispute. I believe that colour 

 does undoubtedly act as a signal. On one occasion I saw two 

 ladies on the lawn at the Sydney Cricket Ground, one of whom 

 had some brilliant artificial flowers in her hat. They were 

 followed up and down by two examples of Papilio Sarpedon, 

 which hovered over the flowers for a considerable time. I have 

 also repeatedly seen hawk-moths, which had flown into a room 

 about dusk, approach the patterns of flowers on the wall-paper, 

 and on cretonne-cushions, and extending their probosces, attempt 

 to probe them. And, when collecting hawk-moths, I once suc- 

 ceeded in attracting numbers to a plant on which I had fastened 

 pieces of coloured paper roughly tied to the shape of tubular 

 flowers. Probably bees and butterflies have the colour-sense in 

 a higher degree than any other insects, but I am convinced that 

 most insects which frequent flowers are attracted by the colour. 



Some days after writing the above, I saw a small electioneer- 

 ing ticket on a telegraph-pole, exhorting the electors to vote for 

 Mr. So-and-so. It was green with red lettering, and a butterfly 

 {Papilio Sarpedon) was hovering round it, touching it with its 

 proboscis, and now and then alighting on it. It is, I think, 

 quite safe to infer that the colour attracted the insect. It bias 

 been said that insects are guided more by form than colour, but 

 I think an instance like this is a sutticient answer to that objec- 

 tion. The oblong shape in no way resembles the form of any 

 flower. 



It has been objected that we should not take for granted this 

 purpose for colour, on the ground that we cannot conceive any 

 other explanation. But I think the probabilities favour the 

 theory. A species of Brunfelsia is cultivated in the Botanic 

 Gardens. The leaves are bright green, but every leaf which 



