GEXEKAL ADAPTATIOXS 331 



adaptations in flowers to secure them from injurious insects 

 or from the effects of rain or wind in damaging the pollen 

 or the stigmas, as beautifully shown in Kerncr's very inter- 

 esting volume on Flowers and their Unhidden Guests — a 

 book that forms an admirable sequel to Darwin's works, and 

 is equally instructive and interesting. 



Of late years writers wdio are very imperfectly acquainted 

 wdth the facts proclaim loudly that Darwin's views are dis- 

 proved, on account of some apparent exceptions to the general 

 conclusions he has reached. Two of these mav he here noticed 

 as illustrative of the kind of opposition to which Darwinism 

 is exposed. The bee-orchis of our chalky downs, though con- 

 spicuously coloured and with a fully-developed labellum, like 

 the majority of its allies wdiich are cross-fertilised by insects, 

 yet fertilises itself and is never visited by insects. This has 

 been held to show that Darwin's views must be erroneous, 

 notwithstanding the enormous mass of evidence on which they 

 are founded. But a further consideration of the facts shows 

 that they are all in his favour. In the south of Europe, while 

 the bee-orchis is self-fertilised as in England, several allied 

 species are insect-fertilised, bnt they rarely produce so many 

 seed-capsules as ours; but, strange to say, an allied species 

 (OpJirys scolopax) is in one district fertilised by insects only, 

 while in another it is self-fertilised. Again, in Portugal, 

 w^here many species of Ophrys are found, very few of the 

 flowers are fertilised and very few ripe seed-ca])snles are pro- 

 duced. But owing to the great number of seeds in a eapsuU', 

 and their easy dispersal by wind, the plants are ahnn(hint. 

 These and many other facts show that tor some unknown 

 cause, orchises which are exclusively insect-fertilised, are liable 

 to remain unfertilised, and when that is the rase it becomes 

 advantageous to the species to be able to f(M*tilise itself, and 

 this has occurred, partially in many species, and (•(•mpletely 

 in our bee-orchis. 



I may remark here llint lhe name " l>ee-orchis " Is mislead- 

 ing, as the flower does nol resemble any of our bee-. But the 



