338 THE ORCHID REVIEW. 
NOTES ON THE FERTILISATION OF ORCHIDS 
IN. THE TROPICS. 
AT page 295 some interesting notes on this subject were given by Mr. 
Richard Pfau, of Costa Rica, though the results were somewhat negative, 
so far as insects are concerned. Others, however, have been more fortunate, 
as will be seen by the following notes on that remarkable genus Coryanthes, 
which supplement those recorded at page 264 of our last volume. In an 
article entitled ‘“‘ The Struggle for Life in the Forest,’’ published in Timehri, 
Mr. James Raodwy, F.L.S., has recorded some very interesting observations 
made in British Guiana, from which we extract the following :— 
“‘ Hanging from a creeper or branch,” he remarks, ‘‘ may be seen here and 
there an oval bag-like mass of aerial roots, something like one of the nests of 
the troupials so common on the silk cotton-tree, above which are the pseudo- 
bulbs and leaves of that wonderful Orchid the Coryanthes. After throwing 
out two or three roots to attach itself to its support, it develops an inter- 
lacing network all round, in a-way almost peculiar to the genus. At first 
sight it would be hard to say what purpose could be served by such a con- 
trivance, but strike or shake the plant, and it will be seen that it is nothing 
less than a veritable ants’ nest. The Orchid is, like other plants, subject to 
the attacks of many foes, such as cockroaches and larve, which are par- 
ticularly fond of the aerial roots. To protect itself against these, the 
Coryanthes has chosen to provide a comfortable nest, wherein a garrison 
of carnivorous ants find shelter; they, in return for the accommodation, 
being ready to come out and fight at the first alarm of an enemy. 
‘Having provided a guard against crawling vermin, the (Srseithes 
proceeds to develop a most wonderful flower, in which every part is obvi- 
ously formed to attract a particular insect. . . . It has laid itself out to 
catch, without hurting it, a beautiful metallic-green bee (Euglossa aurata). 
From the base of one of its pseudobulbs, a long flower-stem is produced, 
which pushes itself straight downwards. Upon this it hangs a number of 
beautiful cups, into each of which a liquid drips from two horn-like pro- 
cesses in the upper part of the flower. Take a china teacup with a 
spreading mouth, hang some little flags over the handle, and stick a model 
of the figure-head of a Polynesian canoe opposite, and you have something 
like one of them, as it opens itself in the early morning from a bud resembling 
the swathing of a Chinese lady’s foot. The species vary in colour and 
markings, being generally whitish or yellow, blotched and spotted with 
crimson. Their odour, as judged by our standard, is not pleasant, but 
nevertheless it is very attractive to the bees, which immediately swarm 
round in great numbers. Flying towards the flower, as a moth to a candle, 
the bee falls into the liquid which covers the bottom, and wetting its wings, 
is unable to use them. Look into the cup, and you will see a dozen bees 
