218 VAHDEiE. Chap. YII. 



disc, as a protection to the pollen-masses from being 

 permanently glued to the yiscid disc. 



From observations made on fifteen flowers, it was 

 ascertained that the straightening of the pedicel does 

 not occur until from twelve to fifteen minutes have 

 elapsed. The first movement causing the act of ejec- 

 tion is due to elasticity, and the second slow movement 

 to the drying of the outer and convex surface ; but 

 this latter movement differs from that observed in the 

 pollinia of so many Vandeae and Ophrese, for, when 

 the poUinium of this Mormodes was placed in water, 

 it did not recover the hoop-like form which it had at 

 first acquired by elasticity. 



The flowers are hermaphrodites. The pollinia are 

 perfectly developed. The elongated stigmatic surface 

 is extremely viscid and abounds with innumerable 

 utriculi, the contents of which shrink and become 

 coagulated after immersion for less than an hour in 

 spirits of wine. When placed in spirits for a day, the 

 utriculi were so acted on that they disappeared, and this 

 I have not noticed in any other Orchid. The ovules, 

 after exposure to spirits for a day or two,^ presented 

 the usual semi-opaque, pulpy appearance common to 

 all hermaphrodite and female Orchids. Erom the 

 unusual length of the stigmatic surface I expected 

 that, if the pollinia were not ejected from the excite- 

 ment of a touch, th6 anther-case would have detached 

 itself, and the pollen-masses would have swung down- 

 wards and fertilised the stigma of .the same flower. 

 Accordingly, I left four flowers untouched ; after they 

 had remained expanded from eight to ten days, the 

 elasticity of the pedicel conquered the force of attach- 

 ment and the pollinia were spontaneously ejected, but 

 they did not fall on the stigma and were consequently 

 wasted. 



