[252-254]

Pancratium littorale circumnutation of Leaf 18th 19th

[254v]

a

(Ch 8)

*page 34

I will here give all the cases known to me of birds apparently fertilising flowers. In S. Brazil, humming birds certainly fertilise the various species of Abutilon which are sterile without their aid (Fritz Müller, Jenaische Zeitschrift f. Naturwiss: BVII. 1872 page 24). The long-beaked species visit the flowers of Brugmansia, which whilst some of the short-beaked species penetrate often bite holes through the large corolla of this plant in order to obtain the nectar in an illegitimate manner, in the same way manner as do bees in all parts of the world. It appears indeed that the beaks of humming-birds are beautifully specially adapted to the various kinds of flowers which they visit: on the Cordillera they suck the Salviæ, and much lacerate the flowers of the Tacsoniæ; in Nicaragua, Mr. Belt saw them sucking the flowers of Marcgravia and Erythina, so as to & thus they carried pollen from flower to flower. and In N. America they are said to frequent the flowers of Impatiens: ( Gould Introduction