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THE ORCHID REVIEW. 137 
shows that the tendency among Orchids to produce an occasional albino is 
not confined to the tropical varieties. __ It is these albino sports that, in the 
case of Lelias, Cattleyas, etc., command such great prices among the 
wealthier members of the Orchid-loving fraternity. I fear, however, that 
they would not give me much for a pure white latifolia.” 
The following note respecting the habitat of the species and its attempted 
culture are also interesting :— 
“I found a patch of the wild purple orchis flourishing quite under the 
shadow of the trees, in the fell indeed. As might be expected in that 
situation, they were very pale in colour, but being exceedingly conspicuous, 
as are most of the Orchid tribe, tropical or European, they caught my 
eye at once. This Orchid, like all its relations, is very fastidious as to 
its habitat. My observation of it goes to show that, although it flourishes 
in certain old meadows, generally with a rather heavy soil, it does best 
where it is partially, but not altogether, overshadowed by trees and ona 
stiff clay. Some years ago, I dug up several clumps of these plants, and 
set them out again in this garden, imitating the conditions in which I 
found them as regards soil and situation as nearly as possible. They 
have come up every spring and bloomed after a fashion, but I cannot say 
that the experiment was successful. I have also tried transplanting the 
bee-orchid, of which, although it is very rare in these parts, a few roots 
grow, or used to grow, in a certain marshy spot at the foot of the Bath 
Hill. Now I wish that I had left them alone, for although I took every 
Care, even to removing a large sod of their native soil, and wiring them 
round, from that day to this, they have never shown a single leaf.” 
FREAKS AMONG ORCHIDS. 
FREAKS and malformations are rather common among Orchids, and, 
though seldom beautiful, are often interesting from the light they throw 
on the modifications which the flowers have undergone. It is interesting 
to note that every one of the organs which appear to be missing in normal 
flowers have re-appeared in one form or another amorg these freaks. 
A most interesting flower of Cattleya Schroeder is sent from the 
Collection of R. B. Macbean, Esq., of Lancaster, which appears to have 
one small lip within the other, the shape, colour, and texture being quite 
similar, but shorter and slightly over an inch broad. On bending down 
the normal lip, however, the additional one is seen to proceed from the 
face of the column, just below the stigma, and evidently represents the 
median stamen of the inner whorl (a 3 of the Darwinian notation). Every 
Other part of the flower is unaltered, including the anther and column 
