16 REPORT ON THE 



should not do justice to the persons to whom we owe many 

 beautiful genera and species of Orchids if we were not to pay 

 some tribute to them. I would especially mention the firm 

 of Hugh Low and Co., who have for many years past devoted 

 their energies to this object, and who have expended much capital 

 and enterprise in this direction. Then there are Messrs. Veitch 

 and Sons, Messrs. B. S. Williams and Sons, Mr. Bull, Messrs. 

 Backhouse, and last, but not least, Mr. Sander. These, among 

 other firms, have in past years devoted a great deal of enterprise 

 to this matter. I have got here a list of countries covered by 

 the collectors of one firm only. It is a most comprehensive list, 

 and includes the Argentine Republic, Borneo, Brazil, the Guianas, 

 Ceylon, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, British Honduras, 

 British India, Upper Burmah, Jamaica, Java, Labuan, Madagas- 

 car, Mexico, the Celebes, Uruguay, Nicaragua, Panama, Penang, 

 Malay Peninsula, Singapore, the Phillippines, Trinidad, San 

 Salvador, the United States, Colombia and Venezuela. That list 

 shows, at all events, that there has been no want of very wide 

 travel in the collectors, and perhaps it may lead people to suppose 

 that we have very nearly collected all the Orchids we are likely to 

 get ; but I do not think that is at all the case. In fact, with 

 regard to one particular Orchid, one of the principal importers of 

 plants (Mr. Sander) told me that his collectors had been searching 

 for it for many years. Though it was known where it was 

 growing, they could not find it ; but, perhaps, some day it may 

 turn up and be found growing in great profusion. I refer to 

 the Odontoglossum navium ma jus. There is one other incident I 

 may mention with regard to the enterprise of collectors. You 

 all know that Mr. imThurn and Mr. Perkins have lately 

 made the ascent of Roraima, a mountain in British Guiana. 

 Within a very few hours of their making that ascent, Dr. 

 Seidl, collecting for Mr. Sander, also made the ascent, and when 

 he got to the top a very great disappointment was experienced. 

 It was supposed to be covered with forests in which there was 

 also believed to be a very great variety of beautiful Orchids ; but it 

 was found to be very nearly bare, and violent rains had washed 

 the soil completely away, and hardly anything was to be found 

 except a fine bladder- wort, or Utricularia. It appears to me, too, 

 that the public seem to take a great interest in Orchids. Anybody 

 who is accustomed to attend auctions knows that every now and 

 then foolish persons, like myself, are carried away by a momen- 



