48 BLUEFIELDS. 



brook, was an Orchideous plant more curious, and 

 much more rare ; since I found it only on one or 

 two other occasions all the time I was in Jamaica. 

 It was AngrcBcum funale ; entirely leafless at all sea- 

 sons, and consisting of an intertwined congeries of 

 contorted roots, long, slender, and cord-like, of a 

 pale glaucous hue, except at the lengthening tips, 

 which are bright yellow-green, and polished. The 

 greater portion of these roots hang down in an irre- 

 gular mass ; but such as touch the bark of the tree 

 grow to it, flattening themselves on that side which is 

 in contact, and clinging so closely and firmly to the 

 bark that it requires considerable force to detach 

 them, the root often breaking rather than relinquish- 

 ing its hold. This habit and mode of clinging is 

 common to the roots of many Orchidece, and is a 

 curious provision for giving to the plants a secure 

 hold in situations, such as the trunk of a smooth- 

 barked tree, where it would have seemed impossible. 

 This AngrcBcum throws out its flowers through the 

 whole year, but not in great numbers, nor in spikes, 

 but singly, or by twos or threes. The blossom is 

 moderately large and pretty, the sepals and lateral 

 petals pale green, the lip expanded and delicately 

 white, with a long slender spur. The seed-vessel is 

 slender, spindle-shaped, somewhat fluted, nearly four 

 inches long, of a dull yellow-green when ripe. 



While I was up in the Calabash tree, engaged in de- 

 taching the bunches of Oncidium, the beautiful Long- 

 tailed Humming-bird [Trochiluspohjtmus)c-Mi\Q shoot- 

 ing by with its two long velvet-black featliers fluttering 

 like streamers behind it ; and began to suck at the 



