A FEW NATIVE ORCHIDS 1 79 



The early ancestors of this flower were self- 

 fertilized ; a chance seedling at length, among 

 other continual variations, showed the singular 

 variation of ripening its stigma in advance of its 

 pollen — or other condition insuring cross-fertiliza- 

 tion — thus acquiring a strain of fresh vigor. The 

 seedlings of this flower, coming now into compe- 

 tition with the existing weaker self -fertilized 

 forms, by the increased vigor won in the struggle 

 of their immediate surroundings, and inheriting 

 the peculiarity of their parent, showed flowers 

 possessing the same cross-fertilizing device. The 

 seeds from these, again scattering, continued the 

 unequal struggle in a larger and larger field and 

 in increasing numbers, continually crowding out 

 all their less vigorous competitors of the same 

 species, at length to become entire masters of the 

 field and the only representatives left to perpetu- 

 ate the line of descent. 



Thus we find in almost every flower we meet 

 some astonishing development by which this 

 cross -fertilization is effected, by which the trans- 

 ferrence of the pollen from one flower to the stig- 

 ma of another is assured, largely through the 

 agency of insects, frequently by the wind and 

 water, occasionally by birds. In many cases this 

 is assured by the pollen -bearing flowers and stig- 



