THE ORCHID REVIEW. [Novej 
*• 1921. 
moist sandy ground near the sea, and on this account Col. Godfery states 
Jt it is difficult to believe that lingua and parviflora could have given rise to 
a hybrid which finds its home on an entirely different geological formation.'’ 
An excellent plate of the new species, as well as that of S. lingua for 
.comparison, accompanies the article. 
Oncidium bicallosum. —At the Meeting of the Manchester Orchid 
'Society on Sept. 8th, Messrs. A. J. Keeling & Sons were awarded a Cultural 
Certificate for a fine plant of the interesting Oncidium bicallosum. It is 
figured in the Botanical Register, 1843, t. 12, with a note that among the 
numerous fine things found in Guatemala by M r. Skinner, there are not 
many which are more deserving of cultivation than this plant, which has so 
much the habit of O. Cavendishianum as to seem a mere variety of it, although 
in reality quite a distinct species. The flowers are fully two inches in 
diameter, which is four times the size of O. Cavendishianum ; they appear 
in a dwarf erect raceme, not panicle ; they are of a rich yellow, with the 
sepals and petals bordered with cinnamon colour; the labellum has two very 
small lateral lobes, and for its crest it has a pair of distinct tubercles. The 
specific name is derived from the two warts on the crest of the lip. 
EARLY ORCHID BOOKS. 
R ECENTLY I came across two well written books, which must surely 
represent the first attempts to make better known a subject with which 
,±he world could have been but slightly acquainted at the dates of issue. 
Some fugitive papers and some elaborate plates had, I believe, previously 
appeared in various periodicals or portfolios, but nothing like plain 
instructions for the management of this remarkable family of plants had 
been distributed, so that the authors deserve much credit. 
One is called a ** Practical Treatise on the Cultivation of Orchidaceous 
Plants,” with remarks on their geographical distribution and a select 
catalogue of the best kinds in cultivation. By John Henshall, London, 
Groombridge & Co., 1845. It is dedicated to J. H. Schroder, Esq. 
The other booklet is dated 1852 and represents the first edition of the 
Orchid Grower's Manual by Benjamin Samuel Williams, then a gardener to 
Charles B. Warner, Esq., Hoddesdon, Herts. The contents are stated to 
have appeared in the Gardeners' Chronical under the title “ Orchids for the 
Million.” The author became a famous nurseryman at Upper Holloway, 
and I remember going over his place many years ago. He had a reputation 
for stove and greenhouse plants. This brochure grew into a great work, of 
which I possess a copy of the sixth edition, published in 1885. A seventh 
and last edition appeared in 1894. Donald McDonald. 
