270 Transactions. — Botany. 



some other plants, is illustrated in Sir J. Lubbock's work already referred 

 to, at p. 114, to which the reader is referred for details. I have observed it 

 in the following New Zealand Composites : Olearia ilicifolia and 0. nitida, 

 Celmisia longifolia, Lagenophora forsteri, Cotula coronopifolia (though not so 

 decidedly as in the other species named), Cassinia fulvida, Senecio lautus and 

 S. rotundifoUus, and in Microseris forsteri. It is probably the rule in all the 

 bright-flowered species. 



Of the genus Olearia, probably all are very attractive to insects — 0. 

 nitida, 0. dentata, and 0. ilicifolia, have their flowers arranged in large con- 

 spicuous corymbs, and are sweet-scented. I have not seen honey in them. 



virgata has small sweet-scented heads, which are much less conspicu- 

 ous than the preceding, while 0. hectori has its flowers most dehciously 

 scented, like ripe peaches. 



Of the genus Celmisia, the larger flowered species examined — namely, 

 C. coriacea and C. hectori, though very conspicuous, have no fragrance and 

 very little honey. The same remark applies to C. sessilifiora, in which the 

 individual heads, though small, are produced in such immense numbers as 

 to render the cushion-like masses in which the plant grows extremely con- 

 spicuous. In C. longifolia the flower-heads are solitary, but are shghtly 

 fragrant, and the tubes of the disc-florets contain a little honey. 



In Vittadinia australis the flower-heads are also produced singly. They 

 are not so conspicuous as the last-named, and, though slightly fragrant, are 

 probably more commonly autogamous. The protrusion of the stigmas from 

 the hermaphrodite florets of the disc is very slight, and they are frequently 

 fou.nd smeared with the pollen of the same floret. The ray-florets, however, 

 being pistillate only, i-equire the visits of insects to bring pollen to them 

 from other flowers. 



LagenojjJiora forsteri and its small variety L. petiolata have small but con- 

 spicuous scentless flowers. 



The genus Cotula I have hardly looked into. C. coronop)ifolia has very 

 conspicuous yellow flower-heads, which are destitute of fragrance and pro- 

 duce little or no honey. The minuter flowered forms, as C. dioica, C. minor, 

 etc., do not seem to possess any attractions for insects. The absolutely uni- 

 sexual species are probably anemophilous. 



The flower-heads of Cassinia fulvida are very conspicuous by association, 

 and are sweet-scented. 



Ozothamnus glomeratus has also sweet-scented florets, which are much less 

 conspicuous than the last. 



Gnaphalium hellidioides and G. trinerve are very conspicuous, owing to the 

 large pure white involucral leaves which surround the flower-heads. These 

 perform the function of the ray-florets in other Composites, acting as lures 



