194 THE JOUENAL OF BOTANY 



spur of 0. joyramidalis, a surprising quantity of fluid was emitted on 

 gently squeezing it, although the inside of the spur was quite dry. 

 He therefore concluded that the honey was secreted between the 

 outer and inner layers of the spur, and that the inner delicate mem- 

 brane was pierced by visiting insects ; he elaborated the ingenious 

 theory that the extra time thus taken to suck the nectar was in 

 direct proportion to the time required for the viscid discs to set firm 

 on the insect's head. 



Delpino, however, whose writings on kindred subjects are of sur- 

 passing interest, will have none of this, and maintains that these 

 orchids, with their "enormous development of an illusory spur, /br- 

 merlif melliferous, but now dry," have lost their power of secreting 

 honey, that their nectaries are a,ti'ophied, that it is a case of organic 

 degeneration, that they are on the high road to extinction. He 

 admits Avillingly that sometimes liquid is found between the walls of 

 the spur, but says it is only "water of transpiration, or at the most 

 ' linfa,' never honey." Whilst he thinks that this " linfa " might 

 attract a moth like Acontia luctuosa, on whose proboscis Darwin 

 recorded 7 pairs of pollinia of A. pyramidalis, he considers it totally 

 improbable that it could attract humble-bees. As, however, it is 

 certain that these insects do visit these orchids, he seeks another 

 explanation in the theory, too ingenious to be true, that they go to 

 collect pollen, which they find beautifully assembled in packets and 

 masses ready for convenient transport. His vivid imagination further 

 suggests that when they reach home their commdes disembarrass them 

 of the load by which they are temporarily inconvenienced. It is, 

 however, very improbable that the pollen of orchids, tightly packed 

 and compressed as it is, would be of any use to bees, as it is so very 

 different from the ordinary pollen which they collect from other 

 flowers. Midler, too, saw bees endeavouring to rid themselves of the 

 pollinia, and sometimes succeeding, an act which is quite at variance 

 with intentional collection. As to mascula and morio tending towards 

 extinction, though local they are abundant. Darwin (op. cit. 279) 

 says that of 13 species growing within a mile of his house, morio was 

 the only one sufficiently abundant to make a conspicuous figure in 

 the vegetation. 



There can be no doubt that both mascula and morio are effec- 

 tively fertilized in this country. 



On this day I found pollen on the stigma of mascula in several 

 cases. I carefully examined four spikes of mascula gathered on 

 April 30th, and found that no less than forty-one pollinia had been 

 removed, and four stigmas fertilized. Of specimens of morio col- 

 lected on May 9th, I noted the following results : — 



1 spike. 9 flowers open, 4 with both poll, i-emoved and 3 'i . , , 



1 " q " 5 " " l\ stTgrnas. 



! " ,^^ " t " " '^fertilized. 



J- )> -L^ >> ' »> » 'J J 



It is, however, only fair to state that four other spikes had not 



