FIELD-NOTES ON THE BIOLOGY OF SOME OF 

 THE FLOWERS OF THE FÆROES 



EUG. WARMING. 



HiTHKRTO no notes on the flower-biology of the Færoes have 

 been published. While staying there in 1897 there were so 

 many other things which claimed my attention, that I had very 

 Httle opportunity of making notes upon the subject; the greater 

 number of those made by me are from Trangisvaag on Sydero. 

 But although the notes are scanty I have thought it better to give 

 them in the following pages as an initial, although small, introduc- 

 tion to a study which undoubtedly especially deserves to be carried 

 on exhaustively and through a longer period. As may be seen 

 from the list of the insect-fauna of the Færoes which forms the 

 appendix to the present paper, that fauna presents certain very re- 

 markable features, viz. the absence of diurnal Lepidoptera (for the 

 solitary individual mentioned, as well as another which is reported 

 to have been observed, was probably accidentally introduced at a 

 recent date); or again the great scarcity of bees and humble-bees. 

 What significance these facts have with regard to the fertilisation 

 of the flowers and the seed-production of the piants are questions 

 which must be answered in the future; with regard to both points 

 many observations are still wanting. 



The piants are mentioned in alphabetical order. 



Alectorolophus minor (Ehrh.) Wimm. et Grab. — Fl. p. 51.^ — 

 In rainy weather (Trangisvaag, July 25) the stigma was seen to be 

 situated just within the entrance to the upper lip, and the anthers 

 below. Pollen could be found on the edges of the upper lip, 

 and the stigma might be seen to touch the anthers with its 

 underside and to be covered with quantities of pollen; consequently, 

 spontaneous self-pollination occurs. 



* Reference is made throughout to O s t e ii fe I d s Plian., Bot. of the Færoes, vol. I. 



