148 Review of Loucloii's Gardcnei-^s Magazine. 



relenting stolones among tlie cinstered psendo-hnlhs of the orcbidcous jilnnf, 

 literally tramples it beneatli its i'eet. Next come.s the sscet! ofsome liiiae Til- 

 landsirt, wliieli, gei-ininating among what you inay almost term the "iiir" of 

 the fronds and base of the fern, thrusts its wire-like roots into its very vitals, 

 and soon raises over its head a jjyramid of prickly loaves. Terhaps, too, 

 while in the heigiit of its glory, the tyrant Tdlandsm may itself (t;el ilie 

 strangling grasp of a "bush rope ;" and tbu^', in its turn, Ix; <lriven froiu its 

 station. Sucii is the kind of vegetable retril)ution which is always going on, 

 in damp, tro|>ical forests, among a tribo of |)lants, which, indeed, form noliie 

 substitutes for the mosses and lichens which assinne their places in our own 

 woods. It might be expected that, where such numerous epiphytes floin'isli, 

 moss would also be found in abundance. The reverse, however, is the cr.se : 

 scarcely a liandfid could be collected in a day; and, when observed at ail, it 

 is generally foimd extending, in a narrow strip, from tlie trunk to the braiicjits. 

 This scarcity of moss is severely felt by the botanical collector; for it forms, 

 in a dry state, by far the best substance in which Orchidere and many other 

 plants can be packed. I would, therefore, recommend any future collector, 

 who may visit these countries, to carry out with him a quantity of dry moss ; 

 of which a large supply may be pressed into a very small compass ; so small, 

 indeed, that the room it would occupy, in the passage out, need not at all be 

 taken into consideration. 



" Orchidcfe l)eing, as I have already mentioned, the principal object of Mr. 

 Colley's expedition, I will here bring forward a few particidai-s which 1 have 

 gathered respecting their habits, «Scc. &c. They are by no means scattered 

 in every <lirection, or on every tree; but appear very ca|)ricious in their 

 choice of situation. A river may he ascended for twenty miles without an 

 orchideous plant being seen ; vvhile, on a sudden turn of the stream, every 

 tree becomes covered vvi*h thein : yet they do not appear to have a favorite 

 aspect ; for on some of the rivers which Mr. Colley visited, he found then» 

 exclusively on the northern exposur*^, while, on others, they occupied the 

 southern. The situations in wliich they are most usually found, are those 

 parts of a forest where old and broken wood occurs, or on ilie skirts of the 

 savannas. These savannas are large open breaks in the woods, covered with 

 fine white sand, which has, at night, the appearance of snow. They con- 

 tain, also, many low and stunted bushes. The Orchidia; seem to like an 

 airy and exposed dwelling-place; being found on the more prominent partn 

 of a tree, and not in the shade, as is generally supposed. Mr. Colley only 

 found in one instance an orchideous plant in the heart of a forest; and tliis 

 was growing on the prostrate truidi of a tree, so rotten as to fall to j)ieces 

 when pressed with the foot. This ])lant is ex|)ected to prove of an entirely 

 new genus. In the large river Berbice, the Orchideee were seen seated on the 

 summits of such high trees that it was necessary, in order to get jwssession 

 of them, to cut down the trees on which they grew, Wliat would be thought, 

 in this island, if a person were to cut down a tree to bring him within reach 

 of a weed? for in no other light are these glorious plants regarded abroad, 

 which here actually sell for five, ten, or even fifteen guineas apiece. It n)ay 

 be asked, " Why not clinil) the trees? " This is rpiite out of the rpiestion ; 

 for they swarm to such a degree, with the great black ants, scorpions, and 

 snakes, that nothing would induce even an Indi;ui to venture to ascend 

 them. The plants themselves, when torn from tlie trcje, require very dainty 

 fingering, being fretpiently made the lurking-place of some scorpion, or 

 of a nest of these fiery ants. The best way is to jtlunge >hem instantly into 

 w.' er, which either drowns or ejects all these dangerous lodgers. 



"For the benefit of future collectors," Mr. Kateman says, "I must warn 

 them against the use of an Indian-rubber cloak in a tropical country ; for 

 the heat of the sun soon melts the preparation, v. inch, of course, not only 

 ceases to exclude the wet, but glues itself to the skin. 



"It now only remains for me to add of Mr. Colley, that though often ex- 



