Strelitzia reginae , and Ravenala Madagascar iensis . 261 
while a cloud of pollen is scattered. The two stigmatic lips 
subsequently open. 
It is interesting to note that the two upper edges of the inferior petals overlap, 
as in Strelitzia , though not to the same extent. 
The flowers are often visited by sunbirds : Nectarinia 
souimanga was the commonest near Fort Dauphin. The 
correct position of the bird is to sit on the next highest bract 
and then bend forwards and downwards to suck the sugary 
liquid by introducing its beak below the odd petal. In 
doing this it will explode a virgin flower, dusting its breast 
with pollen, while in older flowers it will touch the stigmatic 
surface and so effect cross-fertilisation. Sometimes it hops into 
the middle of the flower, however, or tries to reach the honey 
from the same bract by bending round the petals. Beetles 
and Hymenoptera often visit the flowers to suck the sugary 
liquid which exudes over the edges of the bract. They will 
only produce fertilisation by accident, however, while the 
narrow curved beak of the bird is excellently adapted to pass 
between the edges of the rigid bracts and suck the honey. 
Strelitzia reginae. Ait. 1 
The flowers, though similar to those of Ravenala , are still 
more specialised. The sepals are bright scarlet, while the 
petals are a deep purplish blue 2 , instead of the pure white of 
Ravenala. The spathe is quite similar to that in Ravenala , but 
there is only one to each peduncle out of which the flowers 
emerge one by one. 
The petaline sheath particularly is still more specialised. 
The shape of the united pair being somewhat like that of an 
arrowhead with the flanges slightly turned up (see Figs. 26, 27). 
1 The structure of this flower is roughly described by Hildebrand (Botan. Zeit. 
1869, p. 508), but several important points are not alluded to; cf. also Delpino 
(Atti della Soc. Ital. d. Sci. Nat. in Milano, vol. xi. and xii). Darwin mentions 
the fact of its being fertilised by birds (Effects of Cross- and Self-fertilisation. 
London, 1876). 
2 The shades both of red and blue being exactly the same as those on the breast 
of the beautiful Cinnyris (. Nectarinia Afro) its visitor. 
