of Westralian Plants . 231 
attractive to house-flies. Dried in fine sand the flowers retain their shape 
and colour perfectly, but they quite lose their attraction for house-flies. 
This points to the conclusion that their colour is without influence upon 
those insects. Whether it has any effect upon the indigenous pollinator 
I do not know. Flowers of every hue are visited by hive-bees apparently 
with perfect impartiality. Birds also seem quite indifferent to colour. 
Yearly for some considerable time I have observed cream-coloured flowers 
(Dryandra carduacea ), yellow flowers (Acacia ce las trifolia), and bright red 
flowers (Calothamnus sanguineus) blooming simultaneously in the same 
locality, so that they compete for the attentions of the same identical birds. 
Available time has never permitted a serviceable count of visits; but no 
obvious partiality is shown for either species, and all fruit freely. 
