THE ORCHIDS OF NEW ENGLAND 87 
“An insect flying to the flower and intent on its sweets, 
would alight on the lip, and creeping in would strike its head 
and back first against the protruding anther-lid, only pressing 1t 
down more tightly, effecting nothing, and then against the stig- 
matic surface. The passage into the flower is narrow, allowing 
no room for anything but a very small insect to turn round in, 
so that no sooner does the insect withdraw itself backward, 
than the top of the back and of the head, striking, as it almost 
infallibly must, against the front of the anther-lid (which at 
its upper portion projects forward somewhat in order the more 
readily to catch the passing head), raises it more and more with 
its continued withdrawal, rolling the outer and under surface of 
the lid against the upper and front portion of the head of the 
insect till it has passed, when the lid snaps back to its original 
position, leaving the pollen-masses adhering to the upper por- 
tion of the front of the insect’s head; or if only a portion of 
the pollen be removed, the lid being closed again is ready for 
the services of the next visitor. The insect flies to another 
flower, and striking with the top of the head plump against the 
stigmatic surface, leaves the polien glued to it. 
“Besides the prominence of the front of the anther-lid, the 
fringe upon the under side of the lid in front is directed slightly 
outward, and may assist by becoming entangled or interlocked 
in the hairs of the retreating insect and more surely effect the 
raising of the lid. The edges of the column on either side of the 
stigmatic surface project outward a little, making a shallow 
channel for the better guidance of the insect toward it; and it 
does not seem too fanciful to suppose that the heavy beard 
upon the lip, through which the insect must pass with difficulty, 
may cause it to walk through it as it were on tip-toe, in order 
to raise its abdomen high above the obstacle, and therefore to 
strike more surely the stigmatic surface on entering and the 
anther-lid on retiring. There is besides another curious fact: 
on raising the lid it will be seen that is does not open alto- 
