80 THE FERTILISATION OF FLOWERS. [PART III. 
simultaneously, but cross-fertilisation is favoured by the fact that, 
as in Ranunculus, the anthers open outwards, and the outermost 
are the first to dehisce. Self-fertilisation as in 
Ranunculus is still possible. The very con- 
spicuous golden-yellow flowers, which expand 
to a diameter of more than 40 mm., are visited 
in sunny weather by very numerous insects, of 
comparatively few species owing to the early 
time of year. 
A. Diptera—(a) Stratiomyide : (1) Odontomyia ‘ar- 
gentata, F.; (b) Syrphide: (2) Cheilosia sp., fp. ; 
Caliha palustris, L. (3) Ascia podagrica, B., fp. ; (4) Rhingia rostrata, L, 
st, stigma: n, nectary, /P-3 (5) Eristalis intricarius, L. (these handsome flies 
bearingadropofhoney. displayed clearly their taste for bright colours ; they 
hovered over the yellow flowers as the males of Eristalis 
hover over the females, then suddenly settled to suck honey or feed on 
pollen, and again flew off abruptly to another flower to repeat the same 
actions) ; (c) Muscide: (6) Scatophaga merdaria, F., f.p.; (7) Anthomyia, 
very ab., f.p. B. Coleoptera—WNitidulide : (8) Meligethes, very ab., s. and f.p. 
C. Hymenoptera—Apide: (9) Andrena albicans, K. ¢, 8; (10) Osmia rufa, 
L. ¢, s.; (11) Bombus terrestris, L. 9, making the circuit of each flower, 
and licking the drops of honey from every carpel ; (12) Apis mellifica, L. $, 
in hundreds, collecting pollen, and only sucking honey to aid in storing the 
pollen. See also No. 590, 1., p. 52; No. 609, pp. 135, 136. 
Trollius ewropeus, L., is homogamous. The stigmas are over- 
topped by the anthers and are dusted regularly with their pollen, 
which is probably outstripped in its action by pollen brought from 
other flowers (609). 
12. ERANTHIS HIEMALIS, Salisb.—This, the earliest of all 
the Ranunculacez here considered, exhibits regularly in its petals 
the same conversion into little pockets for honey that our earliest 
species of Ranunculus, R. awricomus, displays occasionally. Its 
calyx has completely assumed the function of rendering the flower 
conspicuous, as do the sepals of 2. awricomus to a modified extent. 
In other respects the arrangement of its flower agrees with those 
last described. 
On February 26, 1871, I saw the following insects on flowers of 
E. hiemalis in my garden, during bright sunshine. 
A. Diptera—Muscide : (1) Pollenia rudis, F., stroking petals, anthers, and 
sometimes stigmas, with the end-flaps of its proboscis, but finally thrusting its 
proboscis into the nectaries ; (2) Musca domestica, L., ditto ; (3) Sepsis, busy 
about the anthers. B. Hymenoptera—Apide: (4) Apis mellifica, L. §, s. 
and f.p., in great numbers, stfficient to fertilise all the flowers. 
