SEPTEMBER, 1917.] THE ORCHID REVIEW. 199 
and as many wide, and connected with the cap by a hollowed fleshy stalk, 
which is strongly marked by various transverse fleshy folds, warts, and 
ridges ; into this goblet drips the honey, secreted by two ears at the base 
of the horizontal arm which carries the lip. On the side next the column 
the goblet is opened, and near the bottom of this opening it is furnished 
with three fleshy sharp-pointed lobes, of which the lateral curve downwards 
and the middle one stands erect, rising just high enough to come in contact 
with the head of the column, which grows downwards so far as to almost 
touch it. : 
‘The column isa large fleshy club-shaped body two inches and a half 
long, and throwing back its head till its bosom becomes so round and large 
as to be comparable to the breast of a “‘ puffer’’ pigeon. The head of the 
column divides into two short flat fleshy curved arms, between which the 
anther is seated. 
‘This extraordinary species is perfectly distinct from Coryanthes 
macrantha, not only in size, bnt in the form of the cap, its hairiness, the 
truncated termination downwards of the goblet, and the plaits or tubercles 
that occur on the stalk of the latter. Its flower is the largest yet known 
among Orchids.” 
As regards the so-called ‘“ honey,” we believe the description is 
inaccurate, for in’ other species the liquid secreted by the glands is a 
watery, tasteless fluid, which serves a quite different purpose in the 
economy of fertilisation. The idea then seems to have been that the 
liquid exuded by the glands served the purpose of attracting insects, bat 
the details of fertilisation in C. macrantha have since been fully described 
by Crueger and Rodway, and the essential details are identical in all the 
species, of which several striking ones have since been discovered. These 
details can be graphically explained by the help of the accompanying 
figures. 
C. MACRANTHA, as seen in its native home, is figured at p. 41 of our 
third volume, where it was pointed out that the mass of interlacing roots is 
almost invariably inhabited by a colony of carnivorous ants, which form an 
efficient protection against the attacks of cockroaches and other pests. 
Having provided a guard against crawling vermin (we summarise Rodway’s 
remarks), the Coryanthes proceeds to develop a most wonderful flower, in 
which every part is obviously formed to attract a particular insect, a 
beautiful metallic green bee, known as Euglossa aurata. The pendulous 
flowers are generally borne in pairs, and as soon as they expand the liquid 
secreted by the two glands drips into the bucket beneath. The Howers 
exhale a strong perfume, very attractive to the bees, which immediately 
swarm round in great numbers. Flying towards the flower, as a moth toa 
candle, the bee falls into the liquid which covers the bottom of the bucket, 
