202 IN THE GUIANA FOREST. 



The long aerial roots, so common in orchids, 

 are mainly concerned in securing a firm hold 

 to their support, and when a plant is removed 

 to a new locality all its energies are devoted to 

 this end. The orchid seems to know how im- 

 portant this is, and uses great discrimination in 

 utilising its knowledge. It is apparently capable 

 of choosing where and how the attachment shall 

 be made, as although there is no doubt great 

 similarity in the modes adopted by individuals 

 of the same species, still close observation shows 

 that they are not identical. The first precaution 

 taken is to secure itself immediately under the 

 bunch of pseudo-bulbs, and in this it takes so 

 much care that we can hardly conceive of such 

 excellent results coming from anything less than 

 forethought. The plant may be perhaps wired 

 to a block or placed in a basket. In the first 

 case, notwithstanding the fact that it is perfectly 

 safe from falling, it provides against contingencies 

 by firmly attaching itself; while in the other it 

 is more inclined to throw out a number of arms 

 as it were, and twine them round the bars. If 

 the growths are very long they of course exert a 

 powerful leverage, and the attachment requires 

 to be all the stronger. Then the aerial roots 

 wind round the branch and extend upwards and 



