246 THE ORCHID REVIEW. 
Sobralia Lowii, which, though handsome, are not very widely grown. Many 
species of the last-named two genera are very handsome when in bloom, 
though their fugitive flowers prevent them from becoming as popular as 
they otherwise would. 
FERTILISATION OF CATTLEYA. 
A Flower of Cattleya Warscewiczii has been sent by Mr. C. C. Hurst, of 
the Burbage Nurseries. near Hinckley, in which a small humble bee has 
been caught by the viscid stigma, to which it is firmly glued by its back. 
The insect had entered the flower in search of food, but got too firmly glued — 
to the stigma to free itself, and died there. Humble bees are known some- 
times to remove the pollinia, and Darwin records one caught by Sir W. C. 
Trevelyan in a house where a Cattleya was in flower, with its whole back 
between the wings smeared with dry viscid matter, and with the four 
pollinia attached to it by their caudicles, ready to be caught by the stigma 
of any other flower which the bee might have entered. It is probable that 
Cattleyas in a wild state are largely fertilised by native bees, though very 
little seems to have been recorded on the subject. Mr. Richard Pfau stated 
at page 295 of our second volume that in Costa Rica Cattleya Dowiana 
produces a seed pod out of nearly every flower in its native habitat, but that 
at San José, only fifty mile’ away, where he cultivates them, he had not a 
single pod out of nearly four hundred plants in flower, though he keeps large 
quantities of hive bees; but these probably do not visit Cattleyas. Fine 
capsules are sometimes found on imported Cattleyas, which have no doubt, 
been fertilised by native bees. It would be interesting if those who have 
the opportunity of seeing these plants in flower in their native homes would 
observe what insects visit them. Ifa flower be cut down longitudinally a 
spur or nectary will be found adnate to the column, which is the object of 
the insect’s search. To reach this, however, the lip would have to be some- 
what depressed, and as the side lobes are convolute round the column, only 
a strong insect like a bee would be able to force the lip down so as to get 
its body in, but having done this it would inevitably carry away the pollinia 
on its shoulders, and on visiting another flower these would become 
attached to the viscid. stigma, and fertilisation would thus be effected. It 
will easily be seen that a small bee might not be able to extricate itself, as 
in the instance now recorded. It is probable that where Cattleyas grow 
wild there are certain insects (probably bees) which regularly visit the 
flowers, just as in the case of Coryanthes and others which have been duly 
recorded. 
