174 ABOUT ORCHIDS.. 
makes the statement in his Collectanea Botanica. 
But legends and myths encircle that great event. 
It is commonly told in books that Sir W. Jackson 
Hooker, Regius Professor of Botany at Glasgow, 
begged Mr. Swainson—who was collecting speci- 
mens in natural history—to send him some lichens. 
He did so, and with the cases arrived a quantity 
of orchids which had been used to pack them. 
Less suitable material for “dunnage ” could not be 
found, unless we suppose that it was thrust between 
the boxes to keep them steady. Paxton is the 
authority for this detail, which has its importance. 
The orchid arriving in such humble fashion proved 
to be Cattleya labiata; Lindley gave it that name 
—there was no need to add vera then. He 
established a new genus for it, and thus preserved 
for all time the memory of Mr. Cattley, a great 
horticulturist dwelling at Barnet. There was no 
ground in supposing the species rare. A few 
years afterwards, in fact, Mr. Gardner, travelling 
in pursuit of butterflies and birds, sent home 
quantities of a Cattleya which he found on the 
precipitous sides of the Pedro Bonita range, 
and also on the Gavea, which our sailors call 
“Topsail” Mountain, or “Lord Hood’s Nose.” 
These orchids passed as C. labiata for a while. 
Paxton congratulated himself and the world in 
