52 OPHEE^. CHAP. n. 



Ophrys, and is much more rigid; the upper part is 

 naturally curved forward; the lower part undergoes 

 the usual movement of depression, when the poUinia 

 are removed from their cells. The pollen-masses 

 never fall spontaneously out of their cells. This plant, 

 therefore, differs in every important respect from 0. 

 apifera, and seems to be much mgre closely allied to 

 0. aranifera. 



Ophrys seolopax of Cavanilles. — This form inhabits 

 the north of Italy and the south of France. Mr. 

 Moggridge says* that at Men tone it never shows any 

 tendency to fertilise itself, whilst at Cannes the pollen- 

 masses naturally fall out of their cells and strike the 

 stigma.' He adds : " This material difference between 

 the two is accomplished by a very slight bend in the 

 anther-ceils, which are prolonged into a beak of variable 

 length, in the case of the self-fertilising blossoms." 



Ophrys apifera. — The Bee Ophrys differs widely ■ 

 from the great majority of Orchids in being excellently 

 constructed for fertilising itself. The two pouch-formed 

 rostella, the viscid discs, and the position of the stigma, 

 are nearly the same as in tLe other species of Ophrys ; 

 but the distance of the two pouches from each other, 

 and the shape of the pollen-masses are somewhat 

 variable.t The caudicles of the poUinia are remark- 

 ably long, thin, and flexible, instead of being, ixs 

 in all the other Ophrese seen by me, rigid enough 

 to stand upright. They are necessarily curved 

 forward at their upper ends, owing to the shape o.f 

 the anther-cells ; and the pear-shaped pollen-masses 

 lie embedded high above and directly over the 



* ' Joum. Linn. Soo.' vol. viii. Byriimetrically confluent as in tlie 



1865, p. 258. genus Orchis, and -with the two 



t I once found a single flower viscid discs likewise confluent, as 



on the summit of a spike, with in Orchis pyramidalis or Jdrdna. 

 the two rostella as completely and 



