Chap. I. FEKTILISED BY INSECTS. 35 



much more abundant than 0. pyramidalis. No one 

 would readily have suspected that one chief reason of 

 this difference probably was, that the exposed situation 

 was unfavourable to Lepidoptera, and therefore to the 

 seeding of 0. pyramidalis ; whereas, as we shall here- 

 after see, the Bee Ophrys is independent of insects. 



Many spikes of 0. laiifolia were examined, because, 

 being familiar with the usual state of the closely-alUed 

 0. maculata, I was surprised to find in nine nearly 

 withered spikes (as may be seen in the list) how few 

 pollinia had been removed. In one instance, however, 

 0. maculata had been even worse fertilised ; for seven 

 spikes with 315 flowers, produced only forty-nine seed- 

 capsules — that is, on an average only seven capsules 

 on each spike. In this case the plants formed larger 

 beds than I had ever before seen ; and I imagine that 

 there were too many flowers for the insects to visit 

 and fertilise all of them. On some other plants of 

 0. maculata growing at no great distance, above thirty 

 capsules had been produced by each spike. 



Orchis fusca ofiers a still more curious case of 

 imperfect fertilisation. I examined ten fine spikes 

 from two localities in South Kent, sent to me by Mr. 

 Oxenden and Mr. Maiden : most of the flowers on these 

 spikes were partly withered, with the pollen mouldy 

 even in the uppermost flowers ; we may therefore infer 

 that no more pollinia would have been removed. I 

 examined all the flowers only in two spikes, on account 

 of the trouble from their withered condition, and the 

 result may be seen in the list, namely, fifty-four 

 flowers with both pollinia in place, and only eight 

 with one or both removed. In this Orchid, and in 0. 

 latifolia, neither of which had been sufficiently visited 

 by insects, there were more flowers with one pollinium 

 than with both removed. I casually examined many 



