Aui^iist, ic)i().] 



Illl-: ORCHID WORIJ). 



199 



Queen Empress, i i gns. ; and O. rrispuni 

 xanthotes, 5 gns. 



Many select Orchids were contributed by 

 Sir Jeremiah Colman, Bart., among them 

 being Odontoglossum crispum Rosy Queen, 

 10 gns. ; Cattleya Trianas Emperor, £}, ; 

 LeeHa anccps waddonensis, 2 gns. ; and 

 Odontioda Bradshawiae, very fine variety, 

 14 gns. 



Mrs. Norman Cookson kindly sent Odontc- 

 glossum crispum Millicent, 5 gns. ; O. 

 crispum Franz Masereel, 9 gns. ; O. crispum 

 Leonard Perfect, 1 1 gns. ; and Odontioda 

 Bradshawiae Cookson's variety, 52 gns. 



The rarities contributed by Messrs. J. and 

 A. McBean included Laelio-Cattleya Helius, 



gns.; Cattleya Mabel, 7 gns. ; C. Cowaniae 

 alba, 6 gns. ; another plant of the same, 

 7 gns. ; C. Brenda, 7 gns. ; and Sophro- 

 Cattleya Pearl, gns. 



Mr. W. G. Groves sent two grand speci- 

 mens of Odontoglossum coronarium chiri- 

 quense, 5 gns. and 3 gns. ; Mr. Clive 

 Cookson contributed Cypripediums, of which 

 C. Alcibiades illustre was sold for 4 gns. ; 

 Mr. Wm. Thompson sent Cypripedium 

 Alabaster, Qi\ gns. ; C. Thunderer, 4^ gns. ; 

 and C. Carola, 4 gns. 



Among the other contributors of Orchids 

 we many mention Mr. Leopold de Roths- 

 child, Mr. and Mrs. S. Gratrix, Mr. Fred. J. 

 Hanbury, Mr. G. F. Moore, Messrs. Arm- 

 strong and Brown, Messrs. J. Cypher and 

 Sons, Messrs. Mansell and Hatcher, Mr. E. 

 R. Ashton, Mr. de B. Crawshay, Mr. Eustace 

 F. Clark, Mr. Wm. Bolton and Messrs. Flory 

 and Black. 



A large collection of Orchid paintings 

 contributed by Mr. J. Leemann realised £20. 

 Mr. F. Menteith Ogilvie generously sent £^0 

 towards the funds, and Mr. O. O. Wrigley ^^^5. 



The sale was held in the R.H.S. Hall, 

 June 27th, 28th and 2gth, the auctioneers 

 being Messrs. Protheroe and MorriSj who 

 kindly gave their services. 



Manchester Orchid Society. -^Meet- 

 ings of the Society will be held on August 3rd, 

 17th, and September 7th, 21st, igi6. 



FERTILISATION OF 

 MASDEVALLIAS. 



THE following lujte is taken frcjiii the 

 (iciiiis M nsdcvallux \iy Miss F. Id. 

 Woolward and Consul F. FT 

 Lehmann : — "So little is known of the 

 methods of fertilisation of Masdevallia flowers 

 in a wild state, or of the insects which pro- 

 bably effect it, that we can only surmise the 

 uses of the structural peculiarities to be 

 observed in the different species. Only the 

 closest attention, night and day, in the natural 

 habitat of the plants, could elucidate this 

 obscure subject. The mossy hairs on the stem 

 of M. muscosa, each tipped with a tiny drop 

 of viscid matter, may be supposed to act as 

 a protection against the incursions of crawling 

 insects, while the sensitive and mobile lip, 

 closed by night and open during the day, 

 shows that the insect necessary for the 

 fertilisation of this flower must be a diurnal 

 one. In the flowers of M. elephanticsps the 

 strong odour of tainted meat, given out 

 especially towards evening, may be intended 

 to allure Eome kind of nocturnal fly or beetle. 

 Floney is contained iri the nectarines at the 

 base of the lip in many species of the 

 Coriaceae section, and probably forms an 

 attraction to bees or moths, which, in insert- 

 ing their proboscis into the depths of the 

 flower, would easily remove the poUinia and 

 would then transport them to the flowers of 

 another plant. In other species the texture 

 of the whole flower, or of some especial part, 

 IS juicy and succulent, and possibly acts as an 

 allurement to insects. The internal organs of 

 the flowers of the Coccineas section are 

 extremely small, scarcely visible within the 

 deep narrow sepal-tube, but the broadly- 

 extended sepals are brilliantly coloured for 

 the attraction of insects, which, after alighting 

 upon them, would perhaps discover the curious 

 viscid substance to be found in the angle of 

 the petals, and in attempting to reach this, 

 or in struggling to escape from the narrow- 

 trap into which they had forced their way, 

 must inevitably carr\' away the pollinia, 

 repeating the same manoeuvres in the flowers 

 of other plants. 



