SEPTEMBER, 1922. } THE ORCHID REVIEW. 281 
and see five dense spikes of brownish flowers that had sprung up from 
beneath the surface of the ground, and with no foliage whatever. My 
anticipations were realised on arrival, for the flowers were good examples of 
Neottia nidus-avis, the Bird’s-nest Orchid, so-named on account of the 
resemblance which the entangled fibres of the root system have to a crow’s 
nest. The-plant dies after flowering, but is able to reproduce itself from 
the points of the rambling root fibres, and in again coming to the surface at 
some little distance has given rise to the suggestion that it travels under- 
ground. 
a 
ROYAL VISIT TO WESTONBIRT. 
ahaags early part of August is by no means a period for an abundance of 
flower to be seen in the Orchid houses. It is therefore interesting to 
record the approximate number cof Orchid flowers with which the dinner 
tables were decorated during the recent visit of Her Majesty Queen Mary 
to Westonbirt, the seat of Lieut-Col. Sir George Holford, K.C.Vi9. 
On one evening over a hundred blooms of Cypripedium Maudie were 
used. This mode of decoration so pleased Her Majesty that at her request 
it remained for a second evening. The restful and chaste beauty of this 
Lady's Slipper when used with the'exclusion of all other flowers elicited 
praise from all who saw its charming effects. Needless to say, these flowers 
were particularly fine, coming from large plants of the best magnificum 
type. On another occasion over one hundred of the finest Cattleyas were 
selected from the 400 blooms that were open during Her Majesty’s visit. 
Noteworthy among them for the brilliancy of colour were the dark forms of 
Cattleya Warscewiczii, of which Low’s variety, Meteor and Othello may be 
Specially mentioned. There were also fine examples of C. Hardyana, with 
rich crimson spikes of five and six blooms, C. Lord Rothschild, C. 
Thurgoodiana, C. Dupreana, C. Van Houtte, Lzliocattleya Lustre, Lex 
lustrissima, Lc. Sargon, and many other similarly large-flowered hybrids, 
all of which had been raised at Westonbirt. Such fine Cattleyas, with their 
splendid upright spikes of bloom, and intermixed with the many brilliant 
hybrids, including Lc. Fulva, Lc. Golden Wings, Lc. Armada, etc., which 
have been developed in late years at Westonbirt, formed a magnificent 
display during the Royal Visit. 
Her Majesty took a keen interest in- 
especially in the process of raising the hybrids fro 
a magnifyng glass is required to discern the tiny specks | 
Plants of flowering size. By fortunate chance, during the period of The 
‘Queen’s visit, the first flower opened of a new hybrid. It is the result of 
«crossing one of the best of the superbly coloured varieties of Lc. Lustre 
the flowering plants, and more 
m their initial state, when 
, to the fully grown 
