THE ORCHID REVIEW. 295 
plants are often selected at the sale rooms on account of little peculiarities 
about the pseudobulbs or leaves which would otherwise be overlooked. 
Dark markings on the bulbs are often associated with the idea of rich 
spotting in the flowers or the absence of markings from the underside of the 
leaves with albinism, and some of these peculiarities have a solid foundation 
in fact. The Doctor had picked out of some Odontoglossums a rather 
distinct-looking bulb which had some blackish, nearly transverse, bars near 
the apex, and this plant was being watched with an unusual amount of 
interest. Later on, when it seemed to hang fire in the matter of flowering, 
rosy anticipations were in no way diminished, especially as the plant grew 
well, and promised to make a fine bulb. Hybrids were often very vigorous 
growers. At last the spikes appeared, and here again there was something 
peculiar, and at length it became apparent that the plant was some 
‘“‘ wretched Oncidium.” The phrase, I suppose, was comparative, and not 
altogether unnatural under the circumstances, but the flowers in the end 
proved to be rather attractive and were duly appreciated. 
This is rather a digression, and I fear that my notes may become rather 
discursive at times, though I hope they will not be the less acceptable on 
that account. Perhaps some of my readers may have had similar experi- 
ences of their own, and can fill in the missing details for themselves. I 
need not dwell longer on this particular visit, because some of the details 
will come in later on, but I found out that the Doctor intended, among 
other things, to go in for a little hybridising, and had been initiated into 
_ some of the mysteries by a brother amateur of whom I had already heard. 
| Later on in the autumn I looked in again, and found that things had 
made considerable progress. Some of the imported plants were maturing 
good growths and bulbs; others were woefully dwarfed as compared with 
those on the imported plants, which told of the severity of the struggle that 
they had gone through since they were ruthlessly torn from their natural 
surroundings, though in all probability they would greatly improve next 
year; a few, alas! had died—a circumstance probably inevitable in the 
case of imported plants. A few had attempted to flower, but were wisely 
checked, or only one or two flowers allowed to develop just to show what 
they were like. Altogether the results so far were highly satisfactory. 
A few other plants had accumulated from various sources, by purchase 
or exchange, including a mixed lot whose origin was a matter of some un- 
certainty, but which from internal evidence seemed to be candidates for the 
warm house, where they had been placed by way of experiment. A g 
many plants, I fancy, have to be treated on such principles. 
_ Several of the established plants were in bloom, and one, I remember, 
was Vanda ccerulea, which bore a good spike of its beautiful lilac-blue 
flowers, and excited much adniiration, There were several flowers and buds 
