28 



GENERAL REVIEW OP THE OECHIDE^. 



aspect of tlie flower ; the lateral sepals are Tisually adnate to this 

 prolongation, by which their shape is much modified as in many 

 DeniU'obcs, and these with the base of the labelhim often form a 

 mentum or cliin-likc jtrojection very conspicuous in Bifrenaria, and quite 

 different in structure from the single funnel or spur-like projection of 

 the labellum alone. 



The pollinia are 2, 4, 6 or 8 ; when in fours they are sometimes 

 in two series of two each, and when there are eight they are almost 

 always in two series of four each, of which those in one series are sometimes 

 much smaller than those in tlie other ; this is always the case in hybrids 

 between Cattleya and Lajlia. Partial exceptions to the seriate arrangement 



Ophrys mnscil'era (Fly Orchis enlarged). 



((, anther ; r r, rostellum ; s, stigma ; I, labellum. 



B, one of the two pollinia with caudiele and viscid disk. 



(From Darwin'.s Fi'rlUUation of Orcliids.) 



occur in Sophronitis violacea, Calunthe Masuca {see Fig.) and a few others. 

 The presence of six pollinia is a somewhat rare occurrence ; Hexadesmia, 

 Leptotes and Tetramicra are among the best known in.stances. "When 

 in pairs, as throughout the Tribe Vande^e, the pollinia are sub-globose or 

 pyriform in shape, but when lying in series as in Cattleya and many 

 other genera in the Tribe Epidendre/E they are usually more or less 

 compressed into a discoid or lenticular shape. In most of our native 

 orchids as Ophrys, Orchis, Habenaria, etc., as well as in exotic genera 

 included in the Tribe OpHRYDEiE as Disa, etc., and also in Calanthe, Eria 

 and a few other tropical genera belonging to the P>iDENDREiE, the 

 pollen masses are prolonged downwards into a tail-like jioint that is 



