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privilege of examining typical specimens of P. mitchelli and 

 P. rufa from the herbaria of Hooker and Bentham respec- 

 tively, and find the former to be identical with a plant which 

 grows on our own sea-coast in the neighbourhood of the 

 Grange. 



The true distinction between P. rufa and the other two 

 would appear to be, that rufa is the representative of those 

 rufous forms which have a membranous labellum, whereas 

 squamata and mitchelli represent the forms with thick fleshy 

 labella. Therefore, although there may be some justification 

 for regarding P. mitchelli as a variety of P. squamata, there 

 seems to be very little for regarding either of them as a variety 

 of P. rufa. It is probable that less confusion will be occasioned 

 by retaining the specific rank formerly assigned to these three 

 plants, rather than by regarding two of them as mere varieties 

 of the other. 



After careful examination of living plants, I am con- 

 vinced that P. squamata. is a good and valid species. It has 

 not hitherto been recorded from South Australia, and so far 

 it has reached me only from one locality, viz., Port Lincoln, 

 where it was found blooming towards the close of November. 

 Descri])tioji. — Plant somewhat stout, about 6 inches high. 

 Leaves in a withered radical rosette. Stem with six to eight 

 acute, sheathing, closely-appressed bracts in addition to those 

 at the base of the pedicels ; the lower bracts partially imbri- 

 cate, the distance between them increasing in the upper part 

 of the stem, though the interval is always small. Flowers 

 greenish with rufous markings, two or three in number, on 

 rather long pedicels, each pedicel subtended by a long acute 

 bract. Galea (not including the produced point) about 5 

 lines, incurved, the apex produced into a filiform recurved 

 point about 3 lines long. Conjoined sepals reflexed, produced 

 into filiform points about as long as themselves (5 lines). 

 Labellum thick and fleshy, conspicuously glandular, on a 

 wide movable claw, very irritable, ovate-oblong, bifid at the 

 tip, contracted towards the base; a low, wide, rounded or 

 somewhat triangular eminence at the base representing the 

 vestigial appendage; in front of this the lamina hollowed to 

 within a short distance of the tip ; long hairs from the lateral 

 margins and two rigid ones from each side of the basal emi- 

 nence ; under-surface deeply and narrowly channelled along 

 the centre from base to tip. Column incurved, reaching to 

 top of galea but not quite to its apex ; membranous wings 

 almost quadrangular, upper angles blunt not toothed or 

 ciliated, lower angles rather blunt and ciliated, anterior 

 margins with inturned hairs or fringe ; a second but compara- 

 tively narrow membranous expansion on each side the stigma. 



