546 ME. H. 0. FOBBES ON 



the outer pollen-masses are firmly glued into their places ; the 

 hinder unaffected pollinia cannot be removed in bulk, for they 

 become friable and break up into minute particles which might 

 be removed by any insect visiting the flower, but sometimes 

 their pollinia also become involved in the stigmatic-fluid inun- 

 dation, and are resolved into a cheesy mass. The flower does 

 not close up its envelopes after fertilization, but the sepals 

 and petals remain gaping. Out of 60 flowers examined, I have 

 not met with one which was not self -fertilized ; all, as far as I 

 could judge, having their pollinia intact. The fertilization of this 

 Eria seems to resemble that of Dendrobium chrymnihvm. 



An Eria near E. javensis produces a long truss of rather small 

 flowers. The labellum is slender and winged, and its floor is thickly 

 covered with a fine white pollen-like dust, which can be brushed 

 off with a slight touch, some of which is generally found adhering 

 to the concavity of the upper sepal on the opening of the flower. 

 The column is slender and widens out into a quadrilateral 

 stigma, overhanging which is a well-marked rostellum, on which 

 the pedicels of the eight pollinia repose. The pollinia at first 

 are entirely concealed by the anther-cap, and, if not ruptured 

 on the opening of the bud, are so at a very early period after. 

 The pellucid tip of the rostellum and the pollinia are removable 

 with a very slight touch ; but I have almost invariably found 

 that each floret has one or more of its own pollinia on its stigma. 

 The anther-cap on rupturing shrivels and shrinks backwards, 

 entirely disclosing the pollinia, some of which always fall forward 

 out of the anther on to the stigma, in nearly the same way as 

 described by Mr. Darwin in Ophrys apifera. The wind will, 

 of course, much aid in throwing forward the pollen-masses on the 

 stigma ; but every ovary was fertilized by its own pollinia on a 

 flower shaded and protected in my room. As a rule, not all the 

 pollinia fall on to the stigma ; some generally retain loosely their 

 natural situation in the anther, or are dragged forward into 

 various positions. Often, however, they get involved in the 

 swelling of those on the stigma, the viscid matter being conveyed 

 to them through the caudicles of the others, which generally retain 

 their position on the rostellum. On fertilization being effected, 

 the labellum rises up and, embracing the column, hides the 

 essential organs, while the sepals and petals close in and more 

 securely exclude any intruder. 



One of the most singular Orchids that has come under my 



