240 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [N.S., XII, 



hanging on to the stem if the flower faced laterally or was 

 pendent, but never resting its whole weight, its wings all the 

 time in motion. 



Another bird, the Purple Honeysucker, Arachnechihra 

 asiatica, is the more common species in drier parts of India, 

 and has been seen by me on the flowers of the orange, — Citrus 

 Aurantium, Linn., — and the Hollyhock— A Uhaea rosea, Cav. 

 in Lahore (lti-iv-07). 



Three of the above plants — Eryihrina, Russelia, and the 

 orange — may be stated to have in common one special adapta- 

 tion for attracting birds to their flowers, namely their exces- 

 sively abundant honey. The others are not so specialised, and 

 are to be classed rather as bee-flowers, under which head some 

 will be referred to again. 



An obvious bird-flower, but to which no bird- visits have been 

 recorded, is Mezoneurum cucullatum, W. and A. Its blossoms 



n 



n 



Fig. 1. — Flower of Mezoneurum cucullatum x 2, two sepals and one 



from n to n. The fig 

 insects. 



contain an extraordinary amount of honey, just as do those of 

 Erythrina ; and they are so constructed as to afford but a poor 

 foothold; such we know is not required by the honey birds, nor 

 by the similar humming birds of America. The annexed figure 

 shows the extensive nectary and the small size of the lower 

 parts of the flower. Many flowers are mature together; and 

 when open the bees, Apis indica, F. (Pursua, Nepal terai, 26- 

 xi-07; Bhainsa Duhan, Nepal, l-xii-07) and Apis florea, F. 

 (Kobo, Upper Assam, 5-xii-li) flock to them, the latter collecting 

 pollen as well as taking accessible honey. 



Momordica coehinehinensis, Spreng, also appears to be a 

 bird- flower. The sexes are separated, so that an external 

 agent is required to bring about fertilisation. The visitors find 

 an abundance of honey in the rather large slipper-like boxes 

 within the floor of flower, each covered by a lid. Nearly the 

 whole of the bottom of these boxes is a rounded orange-coloured 



