Chap. I. NIGRITELLA ANGUSTIFOLIA. 27 



movement of depression. The most remarkable point 

 about this species is that insects seem to suck nectar 

 out of minute open cells in the honeycombed surface 

 of the lab'ellum. The flowers are visited by various 

 hymenopterous and dipterous insects ; and the author 

 saw the pollinia attached to the forehead of a large 

 bee, the Xylocopa violacea. 



Neotinea (Orchis) intaeta. — Mr. Moggridge sent me 

 from North Italy living specimens of this very rare 

 British plant, which, as he informed me, is remark- 

 able from producing seeds without the aid of insects. 

 When insects were carefully excluded by me, almost 

 all the flowers produced capsules. Their fertilisation 

 follows from the pollen being extremely incoherent, so 

 as to fall spontaneously on the stigma. Nevertheless 

 ■a short nectary is present, the pollinia possess small 

 viscid discs, and all the parts are so arranged that, 

 if insects were to visit the flowers, the pollen-masses 

 would almost certainly be removed and carried to 

 another flower, but not so effectually as with most 

 other orchids. 



Serapias cordigera, an inhabitant of the South of 

 France, has been described by Mr. Moggridge in the 

 paper just referred to. The pollinia are attached to 

 a single viscid disc ; when first withdrawn, they are 

 bent backwards, but soon afterwards move forwards 

 and downwards in the usual manner. As the stigmatic 

 cavity is narrow, the pollinia are guided into it by two 

 guiding plates. 



Nigritella angustifolia. — This Alpine species is said 

 by Dr. H. Miiller * to differ from all ordinary orchids 

 in the ovarium not being twisted ; so that the labellum 

 stands on the upper side of the flower, and insects 



' Nature,' Dec. 31, 1874, p. 1G9. 



