*oo the ORCHID REVIEW . [October, 19a«. 
fertilisation is most curious, and is well worth an attentive study. The 
upper sepal and the petals connive and form a hood, at the back of which 
the column is situated. The irritable lip hangs out of the entrance to the 
flower, and forms a convenient landing place for insects. When touched 
by an insect it springs up, carrying the insect with it, and imprisoning it 
within the flower. The insect can only escape by crawling up the column 
and passing between the two membraneous projecting wings, emerging 
directly in front of the anther. In doing this, it is first smeared with viscid 
matter from the projecting rostellum, and then drags away the pollinia, 
which can hardly fail to adhere to its sticky body. When visiting another 
flower, it must pass over the stigma before escaping, and it is almost certain 
to leave some of the pollinia on its viscid surface.” 
Two of my plants flowered early in April last, and I attempted to 
reproduce the performance, described by Mr. Cheeseman, with a living 
insect. I thought that I might introduce some bee, or fly, into the flower, 
nolens volens, and at least might have the satisfaction of seeing it emerge 
-carrying the pollinia. Unfortunately, the weather, while the flowers were 
fresh, was very cold, and none of the small wild bees, such as Andrena, 
which I thought would be suitable, could be found, while the hive bee 
proved too bulky. Various blue bottles and other flies that I pushed into 
the flower showed that they had not the muscular power to force their way 
up in front of the anther, indeed, they seemed to find the hood a comfortable 
retreat, and I had to release them. 
The flowering season of P. australis is given as November to January 
(Flora of New Zealand). With me it has accommodated itself to the 
change of hemisphere, and flowers in March to April. On the contrary, 
P. trullifolia keeps to its proper season, and is in bloom soon after Christmas. 
Mr. Burton tells me that it is the same with him, though both sets of plants 
were sent over about the same time, and have been grown under very 
similar conditions. The flower of P. trullifolia is, though very much 
smaller than that of P. australis, very similar, except that the free lobes 
of the labellum point forwards, instead of backwards, as in the larger 
species. 
Before taking the photograph, I touched the sensitive basal appendage 
of the lip of the left-hand plant causing the lip to fly back. The plant on 
the right-hand side was not disturbed, and shows the lip in position, and the 
'** trap ” ready for the insect visitor. I may add that on a cold day, as 
might be expected, the labellum seemed much less sensitive, and finally lost 
its power of movement as the flower faded. 
C<elogyne lamellata.— This species, a native of New Hebrides, has 
^greenish-white flowers, the lip bearing numerous rows of corrugated keels. 
