88 



A NATURALISTS WANDERINGS 



none, it continues to rotate through about 70° more, till it 

 comes into contact with the face of the column, that is with 

 the stigmatic cavity, which is very large, broad and full of viscid 

 matter (Fig. 6). The whole surface of the lower four pollinia 

 come into contact with the viscid matter and sink well into it, 

 while the viscid matter finds its way gradually about all of 

 the pollinia. The inner members of the upper row of pollinia 

 sometimes escape this inundation, but it seems of little avail to 

 the plant for its cross-fertilisation, for they remain throughout 

 covered by the anther-cap. The tips of the caudicles, how- 

 ever, remain in most cases unaffected throughout, but I have 

 found it difficult to remove any of their pollen grains. The 

 inundated pollinia have no obstacles to bar the way of their 

 tubes to the ovary. On clearing out with a blunt instrument 



F G. 7.— PHAJCS BLUMET, SAME AS FIG. 6, FIG. 8. — PHAJIS BL€MET, SHOWING EXTRA 

 WITH AUTHEE-GAP MERELY DOTTED ANTHER, H ; A, B, C, AS IN PEEVIOUS 



IN ; A, n, C, AS IN PBEVIODS FIGURES. FIGURES. 



the swollen pollinia from the stigma, it can be seen that from 

 nearly the top of the column, along the posterior median line, a 

 prominent ridge (Fig. 3, p. 86) runs down almost to the ovarium. 

 In the light afforded by the dissection of an Arundina speciosa 

 (to be mentioned below) this would appear to represent the 

 absent rostellum. Large seed-capsules were produced by every 

 flower of this form. This Phajus is also remarkable for pro- 

 ducing, at times two, supernumerary anthers on the top of the 

 column one on each side of the normal anthers (Fig. 8). 



Here then we have an orchid whose ilowers present every 

 attraction to insects to pay at least a first visit (when thfey 

 would find no nectar), all of them gay, with a nectary, and 

 a beautifully painted and finger-posted labellum, yet rarely 

 possible to be anything but self-fertilised. 



