206 IN THE GUIANA FOREST. 



wonder how such monsters can be derived from 

 so small a pseudo-bulb. Sometimes the mass of 

 orchid roots is occupied by a host of rivals in a 

 specimen we have there are two distinct species 

 of Coryanthes, a Bromelia, several Anthuriums, 

 and a young shrub, all of which are growing on 

 a ball hardly a foot in diameter. It follows 

 therefore that in such a crowd the plant has 

 some difficulty in finding a place for the develop- 

 ment of its flower-stem. Nevertheless it does 

 this and does it well. From between the crowded 

 bulbs comes up the bud, and you may fancy from 

 its direction that it is about to extend upwards 

 and get above the crowd. But it cannot go quite 

 so far as that. As it reaches the apex of the 

 bulb-cluster it almost seems to take a survey of 

 its position to find out the best and roomiest 

 place for its handsome twins to occupy. Having 

 decided, it arches gracefully over and grows 

 straight downward, enlarging its flower-buds as 

 it goes along. By and by you see that there 

 will be two flowers and as they now stand, one 

 is sessile above the other and obviously too close 

 to have room to expand. Now the peculiar 

 Chinese-foot-like shape begins to appear, but still 

 the upper bud remains without a stalk. Presently, 

 however, the whole stem becomes enlarged, the 



