. The Australian Museum magazine. Natural history. THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE. 279 reached Melbourne it has not sur- vived, probably V)ecause of the cold winter. The j)rocess of seed fertiliza- tion in the case of the Port Jack- son Fig was found to be exactly similar to that of the Moreton Bay Fig, excepting that a different species of fig-insect is concerned in the transfer of pollen. The life habits of the fertiliziiiti; insect associated with the Moreton Bay Fig and the comjilex struc- ture of the fig itself, all adapted perfectly for the fulfilment of their mutual needs, are too elabo
. The Australian Museum magazine. Natural history. THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE. 279 reached Melbourne it has not sur- vived, probably V)ecause of the cold winter. The j)rocess of seed fertiliza- tion in the case of the Port Jack- son Fig was found to be exactly similar to that of the Moreton Bay Fig, excepting that a different species of fig-insect is concerned in the transfer of pollen. The life habits of the fertiliziiiti; insect associated with the Moreton Bay Fig and the comjilex struc- ture of the fig itself, all adapted perfectly for the fulfilment of their mutual needs, are too elaborate to present in detail here. The principal tacts, however, may be given. The insect emerges from a ripe fig by boring out. It has been a developing larva, or Avorm-like individual for many weeks within the Hg, together with from fifty to one hundred other larvae of the same sort. It has lived and fed in a particular part of the fig. When the fig has finally become fully developed, certain of its fiowers, all tightly enclosed inside the fruit, open and scatter a profusion of pollen-grains within the interior. It is then, through the marvellous provision of nature, that these worm-like creatures have completed their development, pupated and become transformed into active wasp-like fig-insects. These mature insects immediately bore out of the fig, as noted above, and come to light with many pollen grains, excessively Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Australian Museum; Australian Museum. Sydney, Australian Museum
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjectnaturalhistory, booky
