88 INTRODUCTION. 
from the anther-case; and in a few instances the upper sepal, in 
curling inwards, had touched the disc, and had drawn out the 
pollinium ; but I saw no case in which the pollen-grains had thus 
reached the stigma. Considering how well-stored the nectary is with 
honey, it is surprising that the flowers are not more regularly visited ; 
but as the nectar fills the lower part alone of the nectary, only insects 
with a long proboscis could reach it; and perhaps the larger moths 
are rare at the elevation at which this plant grows. The remarkably 
brilliant colours, however, of the flower probably indicate that it is 
attractive to some day-flying Hymenopterous or Lepidopterous insect. 
However this may be, the infrequency with which the pollen-masses 
are removed offers a nearly parallel case to that described by 
Mr. Darwin, of the extremely imperfect fertilisation of the Ophrys 
muscifera in England.’ Mr. Trimen has since informed me that he 
had never found any trace of insect agency. I have never seen a 
matured seed-vessel, nor been able to detect any insect employed in 
its fertilisation. On its native mountains it has a wide range of 
altitude, grows vigorously in dense masses, or at least several 
together, being apparently propagated exclusively by the formation 
of new tubers, and isolated plants (such as might be expected if it 
seeded freely) are rarely to be seen. Considering the brilliant colour 
of the flowers these facts are remarkable, and seem to point to the 
extinction of the insect by which this species was originally fertilised. 
If we seek still further for the cause of such extinction, the suggestion 
might be hazarded that it may be due to repeated bush-fires which, 
some observers think, may have been prevalent for a period long prior 
to the advent of Europeans in South Africa, and have played a very 
important part in the modification both of animals and plants in this 
region. 
The preceding remarks under this head show little more than our 
ignorance of the processes of fertilisation of the Peninsular Orchids 
generally, or of what species are propagated by tubers exclusively. 
The latter are probably extremely few in number, since in Satyrium 
and Disa, our two largest genera, most of the species bear seed 
abundantly. The field of investigation is large and deeply interesting, 
and will afford a rich harvest of results to those who may have the 
time and patience to labour in it. 
IX.—Periop or FLowerinc. 
The majority of the species flower in spring and early summer ; 
yet there is no month (excepting, perhaps, April, in some unfavourable 
year) in which some Orchid may not be found in flower on the 
Peninsula. Beginning in April, sometimes even before the first 
