THE ORCHIDS OF NEW ENGLAND. 87 



" An insect flying to the flower and intent on its sweets, 

 would alight on the lip, and creeping in would strike its head 

 and back first against the protruding anther-lid, only pressing it 

 down more tightly, effecting nothing, and then against the stig- 

 matic surface. The passage into the flower is narrow, allowing 

 no room for anything but a very small insect to turn round in, 

 so that no sooner does the insect withdraw itself backward, 

 than the top of the back and of the head, striking, as it almost 

 infallibly must, against- the front of the anther-lid (which at 

 its upper portion projects forward somewhat in order the more 

 readily to catch the passing head), raises it more and more with 

 its continued withdrawal, rolling the outer and under surface of 

 the lid against the upper and front portion of the head of the 

 insect till it has passed, when the lid snaps back to its original 

 position, leaving the pollen-masses adhering to the upper por- 

 tion of the front of the insect's head ; or if only a portion of 

 the pollen be removed, the lid being closed again is ready for 

 the services of the next visitor. The insect flies to another 

 flower, and striking with the top of the head plump against the 

 stigmatic surface, leaves the pollen glued to it. 



" Besides the prominence of the front of the anther-lid, the 

 fringe upon the under side of the lid in front is directed slightly 

 outward, and may assist by becoming entangled or interlocked 

 in the hairs of the retreating insect and more surely effect the 

 raising of the lid. The edges of the column on either side of the 

 stigmatic surface project outward a little, making a shallow 

 channel for the better guidance of the insect toward it ; and it 

 does not seem too fanciful to suppose that the heavy beard 

 upon the lip, through which the insect must pass with difficulty, 

 may cause it to walk through it as it were on tip-toe, in order 

 to raise its abdomen high above the obstacle, and therefore to 

 strike more surely the stigmatic surface on entering and the 

 anther-lid on retiring. There is besides another curious fact : 

 on raising the lid it will be seen that is does not open alto- 



