264 LINES OF DESCENT. Chap. IX. 



developed state, of Goodyera, Epipactis, and Spiranthes, 

 all members of the Neottese, could by further slight 

 modifications have given birth to the tribe of the 

 Ophreae. 



Hardly any question in Natural History is more 

 vague and difficult to answer than what forms ought 

 to be considered as the highest in a large group ; * for 

 all are well adapted to their conditions of life. If we 

 look to successive modifications, with differentiation of 

 parts and consequent complexity of structure, as the 

 standard of comparison, the Ophrese and Vandese will 

 stand the highest among the Orchidese. Are we to lay 

 much stress on the size and beauty of the flower, and 

 on the size of the whole plant ? if so, the Vandea3 are 

 pre-eminent. They, have, also, rather more complex 

 pollinia, with the pollen-masses often reduced to two. 

 The rostellum, on the other hand, has apparelitly been 

 more modified from its primordial stigmatic nature in 

 the Ophrese, than in the Vandese. In the Ophrese the 

 stamens of the inner whorl are almost entirely sup- 

 pressed, — the auricles — mere rudiments of rudiments — 

 being alone retained; and even these are sometimes 

 lost. These stamens, therefore, have suffered extreme 

 reduction ; but can this be considered as a sign of 

 highness? I should doubt whether any member of 

 the Orchidean order has been more profoundly modified 

 in its whole structure than Bonaiea spedosa, one of the 

 Ophrese. So again, within this same tribe, nothing 

 can be more perfect than the contrivances in Orchis 

 pyramidalis for its fertilisation. Yet an ill-defined 

 feeling tells me to rank the magnificent Vandese as 

 the highest. When we look within this tribe at the 



* The fullest and the most able his ' Entwickelungs-Gesetze der 

 disouaeion on this difiSoult subject Organischen Welt,' 1858. 

 is by Professor H, Gr. Bronn in 



