A FEW NATIVE ORCHIDS 201 



would exist as in the H. psycodes — the tongue 

 might be inserted between the pollen discs and 

 withdrawn without touching them. But here 

 comes the remarkable and very exceptional pro- 

 vision to make this contact a certainty — a sug- 

 gestive structural feature of this flower of which I 

 am surprised to find no mention either in our 

 botanies or in the literature of cross-fertilization, 

 so far as I am familiar with its bibliography. 

 Even Dr. Gray's description of the fertilization 

 device of this species makes no mention of this 

 singular and very important feature. The nec- 

 tary here, instead of being freely open, as in other 

 orchids described, is abruptly closed at the central 

 portion by a firm protuberance or palate, which 

 projects downward from the base of the stigma, 

 and closely meets the lip below. 



The throat of the nectary, thus centrally di- 

 vided, presents two small lateral openings, each of 

 which, from the line of approach through the 

 much -narrowed entrance of the flower, is thus 

 brought directly beneath the waiting disc upon 

 the same side. The structure is easily under- 

 stood from the two diagrams Figs. 1 2 and 1 3, both 

 of which are indexed. 



The viscid pollen-gland is here very peculiarly 

 formed, elongated and pointed at each end, and it 



