912 



other woods about W. Meon ; the Miss Sibley s !!! Abundantly 

 in Selborne Hanger, and in the High wood under the shady 

 beeches; Rev. G. White!!! I am quite unable to say to which of the 

 three supposed species or varieties of the original E. latifolia the 

 plants from these stations are to be referred. Wood at Brookwood ; 

 Miss L. Legge ! Under the firs on the downy slope of the hill S. of 

 Chilcombe (near Winton) ; Dr. A. D. White. Otterbourne ; Miss A. 

 M. Yonge. Woods about Bordean, West Meon, shady parts of Frox- 

 field Hangers, frequent; common about Selborne; W. A. B., 1849. 



The upper edge of the anterior face of the stigma bears a small, 

 porrected gland, secreting a frothy globule of an extremely viscid, 

 milky fluid. This fluid, which is perfectly distinct from the nectari- 

 ferous secretion of the stigmatic disk, has apparently for its object the 

 retention of the pollen masses on their falling forward upon the pos- 

 terior hollow of the stigma, and which masses, being destitute of the 

 adhesive glands common to other genera of Orchidacese, could 

 scarcely without such a provision be retained long enough on that or- 

 gan to effect the fertilizing -process. Tn the present genus the form 

 of the anther-cells and pollen masses is reversed, the smaller ends of 

 both being uppermost ; in this inverted condition the usual appen- 

 dages of stalks and glands could serve no other purpose than to keep 

 the pollen masses suspended over but not in contact with the stigma, 

 as by the above simple contrivance they most effectually are. 



Epipactis media ? My friend Professor Bell finds occasionally in 

 Selborne Park and in the Hanger, a plan twhich he believes to accord 

 with the description of this species in Babington's Manual ; the 

 flowers are very small and remarkably distant, the leaves much nar- 

 rower than in E. latifolia, and gradually passing into the very attenu- 

 ated bracts. I have seen only a single dried specimen, and cannot, 

 therefore, venture to pronounce an opinion on its identity with the 

 above presumed, but I fear problematical species. E. ovalis of Ba- 

 bington seems to possess far better pretensions to specific distinction, 

 but is perhaps an unlikely plant to be found in this county. 



palustris. In low marshy or boggy meadows, on wet 



slipped land and in other watery situations, but not common. Very 

 plentiful on the banks of slipped land in Colwell Bay, associated with 

 Gymnadenia conopsea, and at the upper end of Colwell Heath. 

 Marshy meadows at Easton ; frequent. Shore about Chine Head, 

 and in various places in the landslip between Luccombe and Bon- 

 church. Abundant in the half dried up clay pits near Cranmore farm, 

 near Ningwood, with Sparganium natans and Typha angustifolia, 

 July 14th, 1844. Marsh near Compton ; Mr. W. D. Snooke (Fl. 



