2IO 



NA TURE 



\yan. 13, 1876 



look upon this as a warlike demonstration, and their love 

 of independence would then prevent the exploring party 

 from accomplishing its task. 



Not only from a geographical and ethnological point of 

 view is this expedition expected to be a brilliant success, 

 but also in the several departments of natural history 

 the results are likely to be of high scientific value. A 

 naturalist is to be appointed, who will accompany the 

 explorers and enrich the zoological and geological depart- 

 ments of the national museum of Holland with interesting 

 specimens from regions hitherto so superficially known. 



There is some probability of a botanist being appointed 

 by a committee of botanists and horticulturists, who will 

 pay his expenses, and thus make the expedition profitable 

 for this department of natural science as well. 



The staff of the expedition will further consist of an 

 able geographer, to whom the topographical department 

 is to be confided, and of a linguist, who will study the 

 languages of the tribes met with. It is a curious fact that 

 in Sumatra the languages spoken by contiguous popula- 

 tions show very considerable differences. He will at the 

 same time be able to serve as an interpreter, where this 

 may prove necessary, and will no doubt have occasion to 

 gather some interesting ethnological data. An artist will 

 complete the party of explorers, which is to leave Holland 

 in the beginning of next summer. 



It is expected that one or more able naval officers will 

 be appointed by the Indian Government to the command 

 of the vessel in which a great part of the surveying work 

 is to be done. They will of course bring a most welcome 

 support to the geographer, to whom assistance of this kind 

 may prove almost indispensable. 



As to the financial side of the question, the expenses re- 

 quired to carry out the scheme when reduced to its most 

 simple dimensions, have been evaluated at 2,000 guineas. 

 The Geographical Society, having been founded only a 

 couple of years ago, has no funds at all at its disposal, and 

 so an appeal has been made to the public, scientific and 

 commercial, with a view of obtaining the required money 

 by private efforts only. Government will not be applied 

 to before the subscriptions have surpassed the above 

 sum, and when the possibility of realisation will thus 

 have been assured. A Governmental subsidy will then 

 not be a conditio sine qua non for the expedition, but only 

 a means of giving it a wider extension, of bringing within 

 its range a larger field than the original 2,000 guineas 

 would admit of. As the national interest in the expedition 

 is increasing every day, it is expected that this sum will 

 be raised within a very short time. 



The Colonial Office at the Hague strongly supports the 

 efforts of the Society, and the Government at Batavia 

 has promised its earnest co-operation. Another favour- 

 able circumstance is to be found in the willingness of the 

 Sultan of Djambi, now on the best terms with the Dutch 

 colonial authorities, first, to permit of this scientific invasion 

 into his domains, and secondly, to lend his assistance 

 wherever this might be of any use. As a palpable proof 

 he has already put his son-in-law at the disposal of the 

 exploring party, for the purpose of accompanying them 

 on their tours. Policy seems to play a part in the un- 

 expected magnanimity of this potentate. 



Let us hope the best for the realisation of all those 

 promising plans, and may I, ere long, have the opportu- 

 nity of bringing under your notice some results of an ex- 

 pedition by which science in general cannot but profit. 



A. A. W. HUBRECHT 



FERTILISATION OF FLOWERS BY INSECTS* 

 XII. — Further Observations on Alpine Flowers. 



LAST year, after having spent my vacation in the 

 observation of Alpine flowers and their fertilisation 

 by insects, I published some articles in this journal, in 



Continvied from vol. xii. p. igt. 



order to show that, in the Alpine region, Lepidoptera are 

 far more frequent visitors of flowers than in the plain 

 and in the lower mountainous region, while the frequency 

 of ApidcC, not only absolutely but to a still greater extent 

 relatively, greatly diminishes towards the snow line 

 (see Nature, vol. xi. pp. 32, no, and 169). Further, 

 in these articles I attempted to demonstrate that some 

 Alpine species {Daphne striata, Primula villosa, Rhinan- 

 ihus alpinus) are adapted to cross-fertilisation by butter- 

 flies, whilst the most nearly-allied species which inhabit 

 the plain or lower mountain region {Daphne Mezereum, 

 Prijnula officinalis, RhinantJius crista-gallt) are cross- 



FlG. 71. 



'Fig. 72. 



fertilised by bees ; and that among the family of Orchids, 

 by far the majority of species growing in Alpine regions 

 are likewise adapted to Lepidoptera. 



Last summer having revisited the Alps, in this and 

 following articles I intend to show how far the results 

 arrived at by my first excursion are confirmed, completed, 

 or modified by my new observations. 



Firstly, I will give some additional notes concerning 

 the species treated of in my previous articles. 



I. With regard to the fertilisation of Daphne Mezereum 

 and striata, I concluded, solely from the length and width 

 of the corolla-tubes, and from their colour and scent, that 

 the former were adapted to cross-fertilisation by bees and 

 some flies, the latter by Sphingidae and moths ; but direct 

 observation of the fertilisers was wanting. Last spring, 

 April 14th, in the valley of Poeppelsche, near Lippstadt, 

 watching the flowers of D. Mezereum in calm and 

 sunny weather, I succeeded in confirming my previous 

 conclusions, so far as D. Mezereum is concr-mpfl, l)y 



Fig. 73. 



Fig. 74. 



Fig. 75. 



direct observation. Some humble-bees which escap 

 to my net, several specimens of the hive-bee, and singl 

 specimens of Anthophora pilipes, F., (J, Osmia fusca, 

 Chr., $ , and Osmia rufa, L., $ , were perseveringly oc- 

 cupied in inserting their proboscides into the base of 

 the corolla, apparently sucking its honey, whilst many 

 smaller bees {Halictus cylinaricus, F., $, H. leucopus, 

 K., p, H. nitidus, Schenck, ^, and H. mimitissimus, 

 K., $) were crawling with their whole bodies mto the 

 corollas, partly in order to suck the honey, partly collect- 

 ing the pollen. Some Muscidse also visited the flowers, 

 touching stigma, anthers, and different other part?, with 

 the flaps of their fleshy mouth, and sucking the honey. 

 Besides these Apid32 and Diptera, only one butterfly 



J 



