107 



an orchid, which on account of the trimorphic flowers had 

 been placed in three separate genera: 



" If one passes under one of these plants when in flower, 

 a swarm of yellow and black bumble-bees are seen hover- 

 ing in its neighbourhood and flying from flower to flower. 

 Except in this locality not a single bee is to be seen. The 

 Catasetum flowers are not generally brilliant or showy, 

 neither have they any strong perfumes, and the plants are 

 frequently hidden in some out of the way corner, but never- 

 theless the bees do not fail to discover them, for no sooner 

 does the spike of flowers open than they swarm around it. 

 Having succeeded in attracting the bee from a distance in 

 some unaccountable way, a feast is provided in the shape 

 of a little reservoir of nectar, to procure a sip of which the 

 bee has to bring its head in contact with a pair of incurved 

 processes, one of which is very sensitive. Immediately on 

 touching this the cover of the little case containing the 

 pollen masses flies off, and like a skip-jack these spring 

 out, when, by means of a sticky dish with which they are 

 provided, they adhere to the back of the insect and are 

 carried to another flower. Here the pollen masses come 

 in contact with the stigma, and the flower is fertilised." 



Mr. Chittenden exhibited a large number of striking varie- 

 ties and local species of Lepidoptera taken in the neighbour- 

 hood of Ashford, Kent, during the last quarter of a century, 

 of which the following were the most noticeable : — Aglais 

 (Vanessa) urticce, much suffused with black; Aporiacratagi 

 taken in 1872 ; Enodia (Epinephclc) hypcranthus, var. arete ; 

 Polyommatus (Lycama) bellargus (adonis), an unusally blue 

 female ; Callophrys (Thecla) rubi, with a naturally brown 

 underside; Dcilcphila livomica (lineata) taken in 1872; An- 

 throcera (Zygcena) trifolii, confluent ; Nola strigula ; Boarmia 

 roboraria, a remarkably large specimen ; Ephyra pendularia, 

 reddish shade ; E. porata, strongly suffused with red ; Acida- 

 lia inomata, very dark suffusion ; Bupalns piniaria, both 

 white and yellow forms of the female ; Scoria lineata (deal- 

 bata), an under side with the veins lined broadly and darkly 

 with black ; Hybernia marginaria (progemmaria) , a dark suf- 

 fused form ; Eupithecia consignata ; Leucania albipuncta ; Cara- 

 drina morpheas, dark suffusion; Agrotis segcium, black; A. 

 exclamationis, very light; A. corticca, blackish form, a red 

 form, and a curious irregularly marked form; A. cinerca ; 

 Panolis piniperda, a green variety; Xanthia aurago, yellow, 

 orange, red, and banded forms ; Dianthcecia carpophaga, 

 white forms ; Cleocera viminalis, a form having the basal 



