19G HEINRICH GUSTAV REICHENEACH. 



" I now come to speak of the great Orchidologist of the present 

 day, who took up the pen and pencil as they fell from the hands of 

 Lindley, and who, having since devoted himself almost exclusively 

 to the study of the order, is now the only authority for the deter- 

 mination of species, especially for those in cultivation. I allude to 

 the younger Reichenbach. No one has a richer collection of 

 specimens than his, no one has more opportunities of examining 

 the flowers in a living state, no one is more thoroughly acquainted 

 with their peculiarities, or has better means of giving us a new 

 genera and species of OrchidacecB ; but unfortunately no such a one 

 has as yet appeared, and I cannot learn that any one is in 

 preparation. In his numerous publications he has proposed, 

 modified, combined, or suppressed a large number of genera ; but 

 he has nowhere as yet given any synopsis of contrasted characters 

 so as to give a clue to the principles upon which he would limit the 

 tribes and genera he would adopt ; so that whilst cordially agreeing 

 in many of the changes he proposes, there are others for which I 

 have failed to comprehend his reasons. He appears, for instance, 

 generally to rely absolutely on floral characters, to the exclusion of 

 vegetative ones, more on the absolute number than on the form 

 and arrangement of the pollen-masses, and often to attach much 

 more importance to the calli, lobes, and appendages of the labellum 

 and column than I should do in respect of genera. I trust, how- 

 ever, he may yet give us a clue to his systematic views in time for use 

 in the new part of our ' Genera Plantarum' now in preparation." * 



In spite of this, however, Reichenbach felt aggrieved, as letters 

 in my possession show : he had, indeed, projected a series of critical 

 observations on Mr. Bentham's monograph for publication in this 

 Journal, stipulating that he was not to be fettered in the expression 

 of his opinions. 



On his last visit to this country, in the autumn of 1887, it was 

 evident that the vigour of Reichenbach's constitution had greatly 

 diminished. He was thin, and, although his manner was as 

 animated and his conversation as piquant as ever, there were not 

 wanting indications of advancing age. But his work was arduous to 

 the last, and his interest keen. One of his last letters was to 

 Miss Woolward, who has been for some time engaged in figuring 

 the various species of Masdevallia for a forthcoming monograph. 

 This, by i\Iiss Woolward's kind permission, I am enabled to print: — 



•' Dear Miss Woolward, 



*• You may introduce yourself as much you like & want no 

 introduction, though I like to see some lines of Mr. C [arruthers]. 



"I have obtained the prints. Best thanks. I felt deeply 

 interested in them. 



" You are to be highly acknowledged for having used the honest 

 system of elder print with linear circumscriptions and of hand- 

 painting. We have such excellent models in the doing of the Hookers, 

 that I do not understand the furor for chromo. Unluckily I am hors 

 de combat those days as my bad health is once more acting on me. 



* Journ. Linn. Soc. xviii. 283 (181). 



