rare indeed, when the insect inserts its abdomen between 
the rostellum and the base of the labellum and removes 
the pollinia on the posterior part of the body. If this 
occurrence proved to be strictly localized, we might ac- 
ceptit without too much concern; but when we find that 
it is not localized but takes place in the Mediterranean 
region and also in Australia, it becomes a matter fraught 
with fascinating biological significance. 
In Ophrys speculum the labellum resembles an insect 
with its head facing the column and when Scola ciliata 
enters the flower it does so head foremost. But in Oph- 
rys lutea, aspecies observed by Pouyanne in Algeria, the 
labellum has in its centre certain markings that he de- 
scribed as being similar to the female of an insect with 
its head directed toward the apex of the labellum. When 
the males of species of Andrena visit the flowers (and 
here indifference on the part of the females is again to be 
noted), they assume what may be termed a reverse po- 
sition, the abdomen being directed toward the column, 
the head toward the apex of the labellum. The insect 
inserts the tip of the abdomen in the cavity at the base 
of the labellum and after executing movements suggest- 
ing sexual excitement, departs bearing the pollinia on the 
tip of the abdomen. 'The same phenomenon has been re- 
ported for Ophrys fusca by Pouyanne, and by Godfery 
who observed insects visiting this orchid in the garden 
of the Hotel Continental at Hyéres. Godtery also ob- 
served Andrena trimmerana Kirby visiting Ophrys arach- 
nitiformis Gren. & Phil. at Hyeéres. In this case the insect 
removed the pollinia on its head, but when it visited 
Ophrys fusca it carried the pollinia on the tip of the ab- 
domen, having assumed the reverse position on entering 
the flower. As aresult of the observations of Pouyanne 
and Godfery,it is apparent that Ophrys speculum is visited 
only by the males of Scola ciliata which remove the pol- 
[ 10 | 
