HOT ORCHIDS. 165 
the Duke of Devonshire, grandfather to the 
present, who was almost the first of our lordly 
amateurs, and tempted him to undertake the ex- 
plorations which introduced so many fine plants to 
Europe. 
The “ Butterfly orchid” is so familiar that I do 
not pause to describe it. But imagine that most 
interesting flower all blue, instead of gold and 
brown! I have never been able to learn what 
was the foundation of the old belief in such a 
marvel. But the great Lindley went to his grave 
in unshaken confidence that a blue papzlzo exists. 
Once he thought he had a specimen; but it 
flowered, and his triumph had to be postponed. I 
myself heard of it two years back, and tried to 
cherish a belief that the news was true. A friend 
from Natal assured me that he had seen one on 
the table of the Director of the Gardens at Dur- 
ban; but it proved to be one of those terrestrial 
orchids, so lovely and so tantalizing to us, with 
which South Africa abounds. Very slowly do we 
lengthen the catalogue of them in our houses. 
There are gardeners, such as Mr. Cook at 
Loughborough, who grow JDzsa_ grandiflora 
like a weed. Mr. Watson of Kew demon- 
strated that Dzsa racemosa will flourish under 
conditions easily secured. I had the good fortune 
