Prof. Lindley on some Orchidaceous Plants. 325 



The tergum is of the form which Mr. Darwin anticipated, with 

 lines of growth running generally as in his restoration. Instead 

 of an azygous carina, we have a pair of additional symmetrical 

 capitular valves, a junction formed by their symmetrical free 

 edges continuous with the straight edge of the so-called carina! 

 row ol peduncular plates. 



I am much inclined to think that the left edge of the speci- 

 men is complete, in which case we have a cleft carina, with the 

 hues of growth transverse on each separate half. 



The specimen might be reversed : then the narrow upright 

 plate would be a reduced scutum ; the so-called second latus a 

 rostral latus ; the scutal latus would correspond to the upper 

 latus in Scalpellum, and the scutum to the carinal latus. The 

 tergum would have its lines of growth passing, as usual, back- 

 wards from the upper and anterior angle, and the capitulum 

 would droop towards the carina, which in this case would be 

 accounted absent in both specimens. In the Antrim example, 

 along the right edge there are some broken fragments, which 

 it would require but little imagination to transform into the 

 remains of a narrow carina ; and the direction of the valve, per- 

 pendicular to that of the lateral plates, would well account for 

 its frequent loss. This view I suggest as possible, but for the 

 following reasons I am inclined to follow Mr. Darwin. 



From the probable position of the animal, principally in the 

 upper part of the peduncle, the peduncle is more likely to have 

 been expanded towards the carinal than towards the rostral 

 aspect ; and in the Antrim specimen the upper peduncular plates 

 are much narrowed and compressed to the right hand. Where 

 the valves are fully developed, with no deficiency of lime, the 

 size of the scutum always bears a considerable relation to that 

 of the other valves, and is not likely to be so much reduced. 

 The distinct demarcation of the parietes in the carinas of several 

 Scalpella renders the longitudinal division of this valve a highly 

 probable variation. The genus is not yet sufficiently well known 

 to allow us to come to a decided conclusion. 



XXVIII. — A List of the Orchidaceous Plants collected in the East 

 of Cuba by Mr. C. Wright ; with Characters of the new Species. 

 By Prof. Lindley, F.R.S. 



Having been favoured by my friend Dr. Asa Gray with a com- 

 plete set of the Orchids dried by Mr. Wright during his late 

 visit to Cuba, it has appeared to me desirable that some account 

 of them should be published without loss of time ; for they serve 

 to show how rich in new species of the Order is the vegetation 



