3G OPIIEEiE. CnAi'. I. 



ilowers in tlie otlieT spikes of O.fusca, and the propor- 

 tion of pollinia removed was evidently not greater 

 than in the two in the list. The ten spikes bore 

 altogether 358 flowers, and, in accordance with the 

 few pollinia removed, only eleven capsules had been 

 formed : five of the ten spikes produced not a single 

 capsule ; two spikes had only one, and one had as 

 many as four capsules. As corroborating what I have 

 before said with respect to pollen being often found on 

 the stigmas of flowers which retain their own pollinia, 

 I may add that, of the eleven flowers which had 

 produced capsules, five had both pollinia still within 

 their now withered anther-cells. 



From these facts the suspicion naturally arises that 

 0. fusca is so rare a species in Britain from not being 

 sufficiently attractive to insects, and to its not 

 producing a sufficiency of seed. C. K. S23rengel* 

 noticed, that in Germany 0. militaris (ranked by 

 Bentham as the same species with O.fusca) is likewise 

 imperfectly fertilised, but more perfectly than our 0. 

 fusca ; for he found five old spikes bearing 138 flowers 

 which had set thirty-one capsules ; and he contrasts the 

 state of these flowers with those of Gymnadenia conop- 

 sea, in Avhich almost every flower produces a capsule. 



An allied and curious subject remains to be discussed. 

 The existence of a well-developed spur-like nectary 

 seems to imply the secretion of nectar. But Sprengel, 

 a most careful observer, thoroughly searched many 

 flowers of 0. lafifolia and morio, and could never find 

 a drop of nectar; nor could Kriinitzf find nectar 



* ' Das cntdeckte Geheimniss,' tung der Nektarien,' 1833, s. 28. 

 etc. s. 404. Soo also ' Das entdeckte Gdieim* 



t Quoteil by J. G. Kr.rr in his iiiss,' s. 403. 



• Untersuchuugon iiber die Bedou- 



