388 



Marvels of the Universe 



THE DOVE FLOWER 



One of the most remarkable phenomena in plant life is the resemblance that certain flowers, or 

 parts of flowers, bear to animal structures. We need not go far to find examples of this, for the 

 Bee Orchis, the Fly Orchis and the Butterfly Orchis supph- really good illustrations ; yet one 

 cannot saj^ what is the purpose of these resemblances, for so far as at present ascertained they 

 appear to have no distinct relation to the habits of the plant. 



Still more puzzling is the remarkable likeness the inner organs of a Central American orchid bear 

 to a dove hovering with half-expanded wings, as shown in our photograph. In this case it is not a 

 resemblance of the whole flower, which might be seen from a distance and deceive some animal. 

 Until one makes a close inspection of the flower and peers right into its heart, nothing striking 

 is visible ; further, the mimic is on a scale so small that no one could mistake it for a bird. Yet, 

 there is the likeness. 



The plant is one of those species of orchid that grow upon the trunks and branches of trees in 

 the tropical forests, where the air is so laden with moisture that the roots of these orchids, hanging 

 down from the tree but far from the earth, are able to obtain all the water the plant needs. To 

 tide it over the dry seasons the plant stores its food-material in false bulbs as large as swans' eggs. 

 When the growing period returns, lea^■es a \'ard long and si.x inches broad arise from these bulb- 

 like stores, and with them a flower-stem five or six feet in height, of which the upper third bears 

 the creamy-white flowers, which are about an inch and a half across. They give oft' a strong, sweet 

 scent. The Spanish-speaking people about Panama call it El Spin'to Santo, or Holy Ghost flower, 

 from this resemblance to the conventional art representations of the Holy Spirit. 



P/iolo i.1/] [/. J. Ward, F.Ji.S. 



PAPER NAUTILUS. 



This cvquisiteiy beautiful structure is a false shell, for it is not inhabited by the animal, but produced solely for the purpose 

 of holding her eggs. In earlier days many disputes arose bet^veen naturalists as to the true nature of this shell. The photograph 

 is slightly larger than natural size. 



