92 Mr George M. ThomsTju on tJtc 



latest and the current opinion on the subject. He 8a3:8 

 (vol. i. p. 462) : " It is a striking confirmation on a large 

 scale, of Mr Darwin's beautiful theory — that the gay 

 colours of flowers have mostly, or perhaps, wholly been 

 produced, in order to attract insects which aid in their 

 fertilisation — that in New Zealand, where insects are 

 so strikingly deficient in variety, the flora should be almost 

 as strikingly deficient in gaily-coloured blossoms. Of course 

 there are some exceptions, but as a whole, green, incon- 

 spicuous, and imperfect flowers prevail, to an extent not 

 to be equalled in any other part of the globe ; and 

 affording a marvellous contrast to the general brilliancy of 

 Australian flowers, combined with the abundance and 

 variety of its insect-life. We must remember, too, t?iat 

 the few gay or conspicuous flowering-plants possessed by 

 New Zealand, are almost all of Australian, South American, 

 or European genera ; the peculiar New Zealand or Ant- 

 arctic genera being almost wholly without conspicuous 

 flowers." A little further on in the same work he adds : 

 "After the preceding paragraphs were written, it occurred 

 to me, that if this reasoning were correct, New Zealand 

 plants ought to be also deficient in scented flowers ; because 

 it is a part of the same theory, that the odours of flowers 

 have, like their colours, been developed to attract the 

 insects required to aid in their fertilisation. I therefore 

 at once applied to my friend Dr Hooker, as the highest 

 authority on New Zealand botany ; simply asking whether 

 there was any such observed deficiency. His reply was : 

 ' New Zealand plants are remarkably scentless, both in 

 regard to the rarity of scented flowers, of leaves with 

 immersed glands containing essential oils, and of glandular 

 hairs.' There are a few exceptional cases, but these seem 

 even more rare than might be expected, so that the con- 

 firmation of theory is very complete," 



I have quoted these paragraphs in full, because Mr 

 Wallace, in drawing up his remarks, may be considered to 

 have acquired the fullest and latest information on the 

 subject. While agreeing with the general correctness of 

 his remarks, I think I can point out one or two remarkable 

 features in regard to our Flora and Insect Fauna which 

 have not been noticed before. It is necessary to bear iu 



