78 THE ORCHID REVIEW. 
unfortunately, for those who audaciously endeavour to remove a plant 
from the spot where it grows—the ants have worse stings than our wasps. 
For the rest, neither the explorer nor his assistants dream of climbing the 
tree to obtain the elegant ornament which decorates it; the ape-like 
agility of the wild Indian is required for such an enterprise to be success- 
ful. There is no other means of obtaining possession of the desired 
plant than by levelling the tree with a hatchet, but the task is neither 
free from difficulties nor danger. At each shake, which disturbs the tree, 
the ants become furious, one might almost imagine that they are aware 
that their hive or colony is endangered; they rush infuriated and 
exasperated upon the daring individual who ventures to disturb their 
rest. Then an extraordinary fight begins; the besieger, attacked on all 
sides by little creatures, whose bites, though not deep, are nevertheless 
very painful, gets wild, ejaculates at each fresh sting one or other of those 
energetic oaths of which the Spanish language offers such an ample and 
rich store, then either flies from his little tormentor in despair, oF plies 
his axe like a madman, in order to hasten the fall of the tree and to put 
an end to his miseries. When once the tree is felled he is obliged to wotk 
very quickly, as it is against the whole colony that he has now to defend 
himself. A final blow with the hatchet separates from the summit the 
branch bearing the nest, a lasso is firmly fixed on it, then the whole is 
dragged towards a neighbouring stream, where it is left for some hours; 
with the nest and the horrible colony that inhabits it. When it is SUP- 
posed that the prolonged submersion has put an end to these wretched 
little animals, it only remains to detach the plants by the aid of a pruning 
knife and—the work is over. Unfortunately, it seems as if close com 
nection joins the Coryanthes to the nest, and perhaps to the ants, like 
Castor and Pollux of old, for the plant once drawn from its natur 
habitat can no longer thrive, in spite of the help of the old abandoned 
nest; so that we cannot help concluding that the ants are necessary be 
its normal development, but I should hardly be favourable to adding the 
new vermin to those already imported. I leave the explanation of the 
phenomena to the Darwinians, and content myself with stating that the 
cultivation of this curious Orchid has but rarely succeeded in OUF 
conservatories. B. Roezl, in Le Belgique Horticole, 1883, pp. 171-2- 
[A very graphic account, certainly, but it is now well known that the 
liquid which is collected in the pitcher or slipper is not nectar, being ™ 
fact practically tasteless, and that it serves another purpose. There is also 
good ground for believing that these plants can be grown in the absence of 
the ants, if properly treated.—Ep. | 
