THE ORCHID REVIEW. 67 
of plants. The sooner the authorities admit the possibility of natural 
hybrids, and name them as such, the better will their work be appreciated.” 
Now, let mc see where we are. We have the Phaius, and Mr. Rolfe, 
and the Kew authorities, and the botanists who won’t recognize natural 
hybrids, and H. J. C. Altogether things seem to have got a little mixed, 
for I remember a rather long series of articles on “ Hybrid Odontoglossums,”’ 
and a paper entitled “‘ Hybridisation viewed from the standpoint of system- 
atic botany,” both by Mr. Rolfe, who has also given us his views on various 
natural hybrid Cattleyas, Lzlias, Phalenopses, Dendrobiums, Cypripedes, 
and, I think, a few others. But then he overlooked the natural hybrid 
Phaius! Hine ille lachryme. 
Curiously enough, your last issue contained three separate notes on 
natural hybrids by Mr. Rolfe, one of which contained the remark :— 
“Natural hybrids are becoming a rather numerous class, and their study is 
attended with many difficulties, but I am trying to clear up their history © 
and origin as far as possible.” 
The Phaius question I see cropped up again at the Drill Hall on Febru- 
ary 26th, for a.plant was exhibited by MM. Le Breton and Warpur as 
on Warpuri, sp. nov., with the following note :— 
‘1. This is a new species, now introduced for the first time. 
‘2. Some authorities imagine it to be the same as Thouars’ Limodorum 
tuberculosum, relying solely. on acertain similarity in the tuft of hairs on 
the crest of the lip. 
“3. A glance at the plant exhibited, however, will show the weakness of 
the opinion, because on the same stem there are two flowers out of three 
pat have no tuft of hairs on the lip. 
“4. It is therefore impossible to attach any importance whatever to 
such an obviously unreliable characteristic as a tuft of hairs, which may or 
may not be present. 
“5. There is only a solitary flower of Thouars’ original plant at the 
Britich Museum, but neither leaf nor pseudobulb. 
Isleworth JouN WEATHERS.” 
And now where are we? It seems to be admitted that there is an 
authentic flower (as well as an authentic drawing), and one may ask the 
question whether the flowers of the two species are really so much alike 
that anyone who knows the difference between them cannot tell to which 
this authentic flower belongs ? 
