THE ORCHID REVIEW. 339 
swimming round and round, or vainly trying to climb the slippery sides; and, 
if it be the second day after opening, one or two may be seen drowned. It was 
never the intention of the flower, however, that their lives should be 
sacrificed; but, on the contrary, that they should escape, and in doing so 
perform the office for which the whole contrivance has been arranged. 
Under the flags, where the column comes near but does not actually touch 
the cup, is a narrow opening, through which the bee can push its way out. 
In doing this it has to use sufficient force to widen the gap (which opens 
out like a spring door), when it comes in contact with the pollen-case, 
ruptures it, and carries off the male organ on its back. Not being able to 
fly, there is nothing to be done but to crawl over the flower-spike, where, 
heedless of its former trouble, it soon finds itself inside another flower. In 
making its way out, the pollen masses are rubbed on the stigma, and the 
ovary fertilised, after which it may carry out the pollen masses of this 
flower in turn to fertilise another.” —Timehri, 1891, pp. 27-29. 
About two years later the author was able to ga hearers his former 
observations by a further note :— 
“We have lately had,” he observes, anole good opportunity of 
observing the wonderful contrivances by which the flowers of this Orchid 
are fertilised. At seven o’clock in the morning the buds were a trifle loose, 
and they must have opened about an hour later. At 8.30 the bees were 
seen round the fully-opened flowers, and an hour later every pollen mass 
had been carried away. At the latter period from six to eight bees were 
continually hovering round, crawling under the dome-like appendage above 
the cup and dropping into the trap below. Their green and gold bodies 
flashed in the light as they buzzed round; on one of them a pair of pollen 
masses between the shoulders showed conspicuously against the metallic 
green back. One that we watched go into the cup turned itself round and 
round for a few seconds, and then, apparently seeing the light shining 
through the gap where the column approaches the lip, commenced to drag 
itself through the spring-like opening. The bottom of the cup was evidently 
slippery, and the insect fell back several times. However, at last it put 
both forelegs through and grasped the under lip, as we may call it, where 
there are two gaps on either side of a single tooth. By holding thus it was 
enabled to push its head through, but the body still remained inside. meout 
a minute passed before it could get through entirely, and during that time it 
was straining every muscle, turning a little to this side ite then to that, 
‘taking a fresh hold with one of its forelegs, and looking thoroughly 
exhausted when it got through. Altogether it took about two minutes to 
come out, and in its exertions had rubbed and broken the pollen masses on 
its back so that the ragged pieces remained on the stigmatic surface. The 
problem which puzzles us most is how these bees, which we never see at 
other times, discovered the flowers were open. There was a perfume, but 
