76 INTRODUCTION 



biennis, which are without exception flowers for which, in Europe, predilection is 

 shown by insects with a long proboscis.' (Cf. Knuth, ' Die Bliitenbesucher derselben 

 Pflanzenart in verschiedenen Gegenden,' II.) 



Trelease also describes the tropical American forms Salvia gesneraefolia and 

 S. Heerii, and the Brazilian species S. splendens Sella, as omithophilous, as well as 

 Erica Willmorei, which is native to South Africa (Proc. Soc. Nat. Hist., Boston, 

 xxi, r882). 



On Mindanao, one of the Philippine Is., Everett observed (Nature, xvi, 1877) 

 numerous birds of the family Nectariniidae (species of Loriculus, &c.), which, 

 without alighting, catch the insects occurring in the recesses of flowers, meanwhile 

 loading the feathers at the base of the beak with pollen. 



Evans (Nature, xviii, 1878) saw Tecoma capensis pollinated by honey-suckers 

 in Natal. In New Zealand, Thomson (Trans, and Proc. N. Zeal. Inst., WeUington, 

 xiii, 1880) observed the following species to be regularly or occasionally visited 

 by honey-suckers: — Clianthus puniceus, Sophora tetraptera, Metrosideros lucida, 

 Loranthus Colensoi, Fuchsia excorticata, Dracophyllum longifolium, and Phormium 

 tenax. In Australia F. v. Miiller saw (in 1883) Grevillea robusta pollinated by birds 

 (Loew, ' Einfuhrung,' p. 368). 



Furthermore, according to E. Galpin (Card. Chron., ix, 1891) the following 

 Cape plants are omithophilous : — Erythrina caffra, Tecoma capensis, Leonotis Leo- 

 nurus, Halleria lucida, Antholyza aethiopica, and many sp. of Aloe. According to 

 M. S. Evans (Nature, \\, 1895) both Loranthus Kraussianus and L. Dregei, in Natal, 

 are visited and pollinated by birds, the former by Cinnyris olivaceus and Barbetula 

 pusilla, the latter by Cinnyris Verreauxi. 



According to J. Hancock (Amer. Nat., Boston, xxviii, 1894), the humming- 

 birds (Trochilus colubris L.) which visit Lonicera sempervirens carry away pollen, 

 especially upon the feathers at the corner of the mouth. The pollen-grains are 

 adapted to this kind of transference. 



We are indebted to Scott-EUiot (Ann. Bot., Oxford, iv, 1889-90, pp. 265-80) for 

 numerous recent investigations with regard to the omithophilous plants of Africa and 

 Madagascar. In his memoir (' Omithophilous Flowers in South Africa') he mentions 

 honey-suckers of the families Meliphagidae (Zosterops), and Cinnyridae (Nectarinia, 

 Cinnyris) as the sole or occasional pollinators of the following species, the visitors of 

 which are indicated within brackets : — Melianthus major L. [visited by Nectarinia 

 chalybea], M. comosus Vahl [N. famosa], M. Dregeanus Vahl [Zosterops virens], 

 Erythrina caffra DC. [sp. of Nectarinia, Zosterops virens], Tecoma capensis Lindl. 

 [Nectarinia Afra, Zosterops virens], Leonotis ovata Spring. [Cinnyris Kirkii], Salvia 

 aurea E. [Zosterops capensis], Protea incompta R. Br., P. mellifera Thunb., 

 P. longiflora Lam., P. Scolymus Thunb. [all visited by Promerops caper], Leuco- 

 spermum conocarpum R. Br., Antholyza aethiopica L., A. praealta Red., Babiana 

 ringens Ker., Erica fascicularis L., E. purpurea Andr., E. Plunkenetii, Lobostemon 

 montanum Buck, Lycium tubulosum Nees, SarcocoUa squamosa Benth., Scholia 

 speciosa Jacq., Sutherlandia frutescens R. Br., &c. 



In another publication — ' Note on the Fertihzation of Musa, Strelitzia Reginae, 

 and Ravenala madagascariensis ' (op. cit., pp. 259-63) — Scott-EUiot shows that the 

 pollination of the plants in question is effected less by insects than by birds, which by 



