CORYANTHES. 107 



inner side of the bucket where there is a j^assage for them. If one is 

 early on the look-out, as these Hymenopters are early risers, one can 

 see on every flower how fecundation is performed, The humble-bee 

 in forcing its way out of its involuntary bath has to exert itself con- 

 siderably, as the mouth of the epichile and the face of the column fit 

 together exactly, and are very stiff and elastic. The first bee that is 

 immersed will have the gland of the pollen masses glued to its back. 

 The insect then generally gets through the passage and conies out with 

 this peculiar appendage, to return nearly immediately to its feast, when 

 it is generally precipitated a second time into the bucket, passing out 

 through the same aperture, and so inserting the pollen masses into the 

 stigma while it forces its way out, and thereby impregnating either the 

 same or some other flower. I have often seen this, and sometimes 

 there are so many of these humble-bees assembled, that there is a 

 continual procession of them through the passage specified." 



Further interesting details of the structure of Coryanthes flowers and 

 the various contrivances by which their fertilisation is effected are given 

 in the Gardeners'' Chronicle, vol. XXI. (1884), p. 482; XXIII. (1885), 

 p. 144; and XXIV. (1885), p. 103. 



0. maculata. 



Pseudo-bulbs clustered, 3 — 5 inches long, ovoid, tapering upwards, 

 diphyllous. Leaves lanceolate, 12 — 15 inches long. Scapes sub- 

 pendulous, as long as the leaves, 3 — 5 flowered ; bracts ovate-lanceolate, 

 about one-third as long as the stalked ovaries. Flowers similar in 

 shape and structure to those of Coryanthes macrantha but smaller and 

 differently coloured : sepals and petals of membraneous texture, pale 

 ochreous yellow, at first spreading, but soon after expansion becoming 

 flaccid and reflexed ; dorsal sepal lanceolate, acute, lateral two 2-|- inches 

 long, much broader, broadly ovate, obtuse ; petals narrowly oblong, 

 twisted ; stalk of labellum ^ inch long, whitish with some purple spots, 

 the helmet-shaped hypochile prolonged into a short channelled mesochile, 

 connecting it with the "bucket" or epichile which is of somewhat 

 conical shape and yellow spotted with purple. Column semi-terete, 

 winged, with two horn-like appendages at the base, 



Coryanthes maculata, Hook, in Bot. Mag. t. 3102 (1831). Lindl. Gen. et Sp. Orch. 

 p. 159. Id. Bot. Reg. t. 1793. Id. Fol. Orch. Coryanthes, No. 2. Bot. Mag. t. 3747 

 (Parkeri). Williams' Orch. Alb. III. t. 98. C. Albertinse, Karsten, Auswalil, t. 1. 

 Van Houtte's Fl. des Serres, VIII. t. 755. 



A very handsome species^ scarcely less curious and interesting 



than the preceding. It is a native of British Guiana, where it was 



first detected by Mr. Ankers, by whom it was communicated to 



Mr. Parker, of Liverpool. It flowered for the first time in this 



country in the Botanic Garden of that city in June, 1831. It was 



