6 INTRODUCTION. 



guileless folk had tastes and passions deserving the closest 

 study. They actually seem, now that I understand them bet- 

 ter, more like human beings than forms of vegetation, and if 

 we believe the marvellous tales of the wise men as to the de- 

 pendence of Orchids upon insects; that each part of a flower 

 has its share in the mutual labor ; that the spots and fringes, 

 silken curtains and waving banners, strong, or subtile odors, 

 are not mere adornments, but necessary to the fertility of the 

 plant and the perpetuation of its race ; that there are changes 

 in color and structure, plots and devices to gain their ends, we 

 must confess, I think, that although the Orchids do not spin, 

 they toil with a wisdom and foresight that Solomon might 

 have envied. 



It is well to enumerate at this point the leading characteris- 

 tics of Orchids ; that is, of the Orchis family, and I find that 

 many are puzzled by the interchange of words. Our Orchis 

 spcctabilis is a species of the genus " Ordiis" but the Orchis 

 family has many other genera, and while it is proper to call an 

 Arethusa or a Lady's-Slipper an Orchid, it is not proper to call 

 either an Orchis, that final consonant being of decided impor- 

 tance in the botanist's view. 



Quoting from both Gray and Darwin, let me explain that 

 the flower of an Orchid has " 3 inner divisions (petals) and 

 3 outer divisions (sepals) mostly of the same texture and petal- 

 like appearance. One of the inner set differs more or less 



from the rest and is called the labcllum or lip," and this is 



often beautifully or grotesquely shaped, and whether furnished 

 with a spur-like appendage or destitute of one, it is almost 

 always a conspicuous feature. " It is by far the most impor- 

 tant of the external envelopes of the flower. It not only 

 secretes nectar, but is often modelled into variously shaped re- 

 ceptacles for holding this fluid, or is itself rendered attractive 

 so as to be gnawed by insects. Unless the flowers were by some 

 means rendered attractive, most of the species would be cursed 



