344 THE ORCHIDS. 
variation from this principle makes the flower irregular. 
e Pea-flower is irregular both in form and size, that of the 
Candytuft is so in size only, and that of the Larkspur chiefly 
in form. The Iris has a flower alike on all sides, and there- 
fore regular, though the petals are in two sets of different 
shape; but the allied Gladiolus, with petals all of nearly the 
same size, is quite irregular, for their diverse form is such as 
turns the flower quite over to one side. : 
Now a certain mark of an Orchid is to have irregular 
flowers. In other families there is often a mixture of the two 
styles, but nothing of it here. And the most common obser- 
ver will bear me out in calling these flowers irregular; for, 
setting aside all technicality, many cannot be reduced to aly 
form, plan, or design, without a liberal stretch of confidence 
and ingenuity. So wide is their range of figure, and so pel 
fectly bizarre are many of the shapes in which they app" 
that one is tempted sometimes to believe they are animated 
creatures. under some strange disguise of enchantment 
Lindley tells us there is scarcely a common reptile or insect 
to which some of them have not been likened. Bees, eran 
flies, long-legged spiders, toads, et id omne genus, all find 
the queerest of representatives in these protean blossoms. 
But more of this presently. | z 
The organs called stamens and pistils are of great B 
tance in vegetable nature. Invested with all that pertains 
reproductive purposes, they have, since Linveus at l we 
been held to represent the sexes of animals, and perhaps 
can say nothing better about it. A striking cir! 
with regard to them is, that while we may trace muc 
t, 
between both these organs and other. parts of the plah 
. nae n the 
respectively, we can rarely find any relationship betwet 
stamens and the pistils directly. We may, by ¢ 
make stamens change into petals, which are obvious! : 
leaves refined ; but we rarely or never succeed in M 
pistils do any such thing. If they ever change 
9 sometimes, without asking our leave), it always 
cultivation 
ge (as Hel 
seems t 
eee 
