^4d Transactions. — Botany. 



(6). Always hermaphrodite, were noted . . 235 species ; or 54 per cent. 

 ,, more or less unisexual* .. 198 ,, nearly 46 ,, 



(6). Apparently self- fertile 208 „ „ 48 „ 



(This is a very doubtful approximation.) 

 Certainly entomophilous . . . . 102 species ; or over 23 „ 



,, auemophilousf .. .. 123 ,, nearly 29 ,, 



(7). Of the 235 hermaphrodite species, 87 sp., or 37 per cent., are proterandrous ;* 

 18 sp., or nearly 8 per cent., are proterogynous ; while 130 sp., or 55 per 

 cent., are not decidedly one or other. 



If we take out the most prominent of these figures we shall see that a 

 very large proportion of our plants are dependent on insect aid, more or 

 less. While 23 and 29 per cent, respectively are solely dependent on in- 

 sects and wind, the remaining 48 per cent, are put down as more or less 

 self- fertile. But even of these it is probahle that a large proportion have 

 their fertilization aided if not exclusively effected by insects. Again, no 

 less than 51 per cent, have conspicuous flowers, while had I excluded from 

 these results the large, inconspicuously-flowered orders of Gramineae, Cyper- 

 ace^e, etc., the average of this class would have stood very much higher. 

 Of course it is a good deal a matter of private judgment and opinion as to 

 how large a flower or flower- cluster must be before it merits the term con- 

 spicuous. I have included under this head such flowers as Cardamine, Oxalis, 

 Oeranium, etc., because, though small, they are very readily seen ; but I have 

 excluded the large solitary Pterostylis, and the dull clusters of Fagus, Grise- 

 linia, etc., which are of too green a hue to be readily distinguished. But 

 again it must be remembered that a flower may be conspicuous enough to 

 an insect, even if not so to us. The fragrant-flowered plants only amount 

 to 22 per cent., and the honey-producing to 43 per cent, of the whole, but 

 here it is to be said that flowers do not produce honey and are not fragrant 

 at all stages of their development. It is probable that the secretions which 

 serve to attract insects are only produced under contain conditions of wea- 

 ther, temperature, etc., which we are at present ignorant of; and when the 

 various sexual whorls are at a proper condition to receive or benefit by the 

 visits of msects. My numbers, therefore, in these two last items are pro- 

 bably considerably under the mark. Here, again, it may be noted that a 

 flower may be possessed of a kind or an amount of fragrance which is not 

 appreciable to our olfactory nerves, though it may be to those of an insect. 

 This remark applies particularly to the Diptera, which, as an order, have 

 probably attained the greatest perfection in this resjpect. Everyone must 

 be aware of the marvellous power of scent possessed by the ordinary blue- 

 flies, for example, and the faculty is, no doubt, faMy well developed in 

 the flower-visiting species also. 



• Includes all the (conspicuous) Composite. 



t Includes most of the lower Monocotyledons (Juncete, Cyperacefe, Graminea, etc.) 



