262 Transactions. — Botany. 



sickened by au overdose of meat, while older ones sometimes did not begin 

 to act for two or three days. 



Drosera spathulata, lilve the last, is a very low-growing plant, and in wet 

 weather is frequently submerged. In di-y weather, however, it is often seen 

 to have insects adhering to its leaves, the bright red colour probably 

 attracting them. The leaves are very small, and have not such powerful 

 tentacles as D. arcturi, but the blades are broader, and when bent form a 

 more perfect cup than the trough-like shape assumed by those of the other 

 species. These gave similar results to the last recorded, being of corurse 

 supplied with proportionally small supplies of food. 



Z). hinata, as well as the last-mentioned species, is referred to in Dar- 

 win's work already alluded to. Its leaves are quite different in form to 

 the spathulate -leaved species, but they are equally active in their power of 

 absorbing nitrogenous materials. In the native state this plant almost 

 always has insects, seeds, etc., etc., adhering to its tentacles, and this may 

 be chiefly due to its erect habit and bright-red colour. 



Nat. Ord. Halokag-e^e. 



My observations on the genus Haloragis are very imperfect. The 

 flowers are mostly unisexual, and from their inconspicuous appearance and 

 want of scent are apparently anemophilous. In the smaller species, H. 

 depressa and H. micrantha, the relatively large plumose stigmas point to the 

 same conclusion. 



Myriophyllum is also apparently anemophilous. The plants are usually 

 monoecious, having female flowers in the axils of the lower leaves, and male 

 flowers higher up. This is the case in all the specimens of M. varicefolium 

 and M, pechiuculatmii examined by me. 



Gimnera monoica and G. densiflora are certainly anemophilous. The 

 male flowers are produced on erect peduncles which stand usually well up 

 from the leaves ; the female flowers on the contrary, which are very incon- 

 spicuous, are in almost sessile clusters and are greatly buried by the leaves. 



Callitriche verna also has monoecious (or dicecious) very imperfect 

 flowers, and is probably similarly fertilized. All the species named of this 

 order have powdery pollen. 



Nat. Ord. Myrtace^. 



This order is fairly well represented in New Zealand, which possesses four 

 genera, including some seventeen s^Decies ; of these only a few occur in Otago. 



Leptospermum scoparium is remarkable for the polygamous character of 

 the flowers, and is the only plant, as far as I know, which departs from the 

 normal hermaphroditism of the order. It would be of interest to ascertain 

 whether it is truly hermaphrodite in Australia. The flowers are sweet- 

 scented and secrete a quantity of honey. They are also very conspicuous, 



