Chap. VII. MOKMODES IGNEA. 213 



down, but the two upper petals remain nearly upright. 

 The bases of the sepals, and especially of the two 

 upper petals, are thick and swollen and have a 

 yellowish tint ; when quite mature, they are so gorged 

 with fluid, that, if punctured by a fine glass tube, the 

 fluid rises by capillary attraction to some height in it. 

 These swollen bases, as well as the footstalk of the 

 labellum, have a decidedly sweet and pleasant taste ; 

 and I- can hardly doubt that they are attractive to 

 insects, for no free nectar is secreted. 



I will now raideavour to show how all the parts of 

 the flower are co-ordinated and act together. The 

 pedicel of the poUinium is bowed round the rostellum, 

 as in Catasetum; in this latter genus, when freed, 

 it merely straightens itself with force, in Mormodes 

 something more takes place. If the reader will look 

 forward to figi 34 (p. 223), he will see a section of the 

 flower-bud of the allied genus of Cycnoches, which 

 differs only in the shape of the anther and in the viscid 

 disc having a much deeper dependent curtain. Now 

 let him suppose the pedicel lof the poUinium to be so 

 elastic that, when freed, it not only straightens itself, 

 but suddenly bends back on itself with a reversed 

 curvature, so as to form an irregular hoop. The 

 curved surface which was before in contact with 

 the protuberant rostellum now forms the outside 

 of the hoop. The exterior surface of the curtain, 

 which depends beneath the disc, is not viscid; and 

 it now lies on the anther-case, with the viscid surface 

 of the disc on the outside. This is exactly what takes 

 place with Mormodes. But the poUinium assumes 

 with such force its reversed curvature (aided, appa- 

 rently, by a transverse curling outwards of the margins 

 of the pedicel), that it not only forms itself into a 

 hoop, but suddenly springs away from the protuberant 



