NOTICES OF BOOKS AND MEMOIRS. 189 



however, do not toiicli the rostelkim ; but if the flower be exammed 

 sometime after expansion, the}' are fomid attached to the back of 

 the thin subrostellar portion of the stigma, and so self-fertihzation 

 is effected, a cross being apparently impossible. All the flowers 

 seen produced seed, whether they were artificially or naturally 

 fertilized. Prasoplnjllum yields an instance of a curious order of 

 expansion of the flowers, those in the middle of the spike opening 

 first. (Ja1 ochilus paludosus and C. campestri^ appear to be invariably 

 self-fertilized, although the flowers are open. We may remark 

 that in this genus the labelluin looks rather like an insect's body, 

 and take leave to suggest that its chief function is to deceive bees 

 which might interfere with the autogamic- process, by inducing 

 them to suppose that another bee is already in possession of the 

 flower ; in fact, that a precisely similar function is. fulfilled here as 

 in the case of the bee ophrys. Lijperanthus nhjyicans shows a very 

 curious adaptation to circumstances, since Mr. Fitzgerald believes 

 that it very seldom flowers unless a bush-fire has passed over it ; 

 the leafage is frequently seen in unfired localities, but without 

 flowers. 



Of great interest to the student of gamotax}^ are the four states 

 in wdiich the sexual parts of Theh/initra are found. In this genus 

 the anther, which is placed behind the stigma, has a tendency to 

 leave the latter as the column elongates. Sometimes the pollen is 

 friable, and leaving the rostellum is dropt on to the stigmatic 

 surface, while the flower is still in the early bud. Again, the 

 pollen may be flaky and more firmly attached to the rostellum ; 

 in this form the upper edges of the stigma are very thin and 

 recurved so as to come in contact with the pollen. Or the edges 

 of the stigma may be revolute, so as to expose its surface to the 

 pollen which, in the fourth case, may remain firmly attached to 

 the rostellum, so that insect-aid is necessary to fertilization. 



The taxonomic additions and emendations are rather numerous.' 

 Among the latter we may mention the re-establishment of Eobert 

 Brown's Calculcnia dilatata, a species which it is difficult to under- 

 stand could ever have been confounded with any other. The 

 additions include two new species of Pterostylis, two of Chiloglottis, 

 and one of Thelymitra (I', cir cum septa), having a curious third 

 (anterior) wing to the column which acts as a guard of tlie 

 pollen against insects, and occu]3ies the position of the a 3 of 

 the ordinary orchid -diagram, of which organ it is probably a 

 reappearance. S. M. 



Mikw-Photoiiraphini nach Jtutanisclien Prdparaten. Von A. de Baey. 



A collection of ten photographic plates, containing three species 

 of Perouospora, two oi Erysiphe, PodosphcEra myrtillma, transverse 

 section of Welwitschia leaf, leaf of Psuralea hituminom, transverse 

 section of stem of Fuphorhia Lathyris, and cynenchyma of the root 

 of Scorzonera: hisjnmica. We do not think this method of illustra- 

 tion is of great value, except in cases of disputed interpretation 

 from unique preparations. S. M. 



