Juty, 1908.] THE ORCHID REVIEW. 215 
Othello is undoubtedly the darkest form of this beautiful Cypripedium 
which has yet appeared, and the foliage of another, as yet unflowered, 
gives promise of being an albino. 
In conclusion I may add that Mr. Bromilow has quite a nice collection 
of paintings, and does not confine himself to one artist, often having the 
same flower painted by two different artists; but as time was pressing these 
could only be hurriedly glanced through, but I was satisfied that they were 
true to nature, as I had seen all or nearly all in flower in the many beautiful 
groups Mr. Bromilow had staged at the Manchester Orchid meetings. Mr. 
Bromilow possesses a splendid nucleus for a fine collection, which I trust 
may continue to grow in size, as it will in vigour, under the care and skill 
of the able head gardener, Mr. Morgan. It may be added that since 
October last, Mr. Bromilow has gained eight First-class Certificates and 
about eighteen Awards of Merit at Manchester. 
H. THORP. 
ORCHIDS: THEIR STRUCTURE, DEVELOPMENT, AND 
FERTILISATION. : 
Notes of a lecture given at a meeting of the Kéw Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement 
Society, held on February 17th, 1908, by Mr. R. A. Rolfe, A.L.S., and illustrated with 
lantern slides. 
(Concluded from page 134.) 
WE may now consider a few cases of special complexity in the flowers, or 
reproductive organs, and may first take Bulbophyllum barbigerum (thrown 
on screen). The flower is that of a typical Bulbophyllum, having the lip 
very delicately balanced on a kind of pivot, so as to rock backwards and 
forwards directly the balance is upset by some insect alighting on it, but 
there is the further complication that its margin is extended into a series of 
very long, slender hairs, each terminating in a club-shaped appendage. The 
effect of this is that under the slightest breeze the lip is constantly oscil- 
lating up and down, which would serve to catch the eye of the fertilising 
insect. There are several other species in which the same phenomenon is 
present to a smaller extent, and one can imagine how such an arrangement 
has gradually been evolyed, but the presence of the insect is required to 
enable us to understand fully all that goes on, and unfortunately we cannot 
see the plant in its native surroundings. 
In the case of the Bulbophyllum the lip is merely mobile, but there are 
cases where the lip is actually sensitive to the touch, as in the case of 
Masdevallia muscosa, which we are unable to show. Ata certain time in 
the morning the lip gradually opens, by turning outward on its axis, thus 
exposing a small tubercle which is situated on the disc. This tubercle is 
the sensitive part, and if an insect alights on it (or it is touched by any 
