FERTILIZATION IN PLANTS. 
483 
Writing on tlie faitli of other observations^, he adds : — 
The bees always ahghted at the bottom of the spike, and, crawling spirally 
up it, sucked one flower after another. I believe humble-bees generally act 
thus when visiting a dense spike of flowers, as it is most convenient for them 
■ — in the same manner as a woodpecker always climbs up a tree in search of 
insects. This seems a most insignificant observation ; but see the result. In 
the early morning, when the bee starts on her rounds, let us suppose that she 
ahghted on the summit of the spike : she would surely extract the poUinia 
from the uppermost and last opened flowers ; but when visiting the next 
succeeding flower, of which the labeUum in all probability would not as yet 
have moved from the column, the pollen masses would often be brushed off 
her proboscis and be wasted. But Nature suffers no such waste. The bee 
goes first to the lowest flower ; and, crawling spirally up the spike, effects 
nothing on the first spike which she visits till she reaches the upper flowers, 
then she withdraws the pollinia. She soon flies to another plant, and alight- 
ing on the lowest and oldest flower, into which there will be a wide passage 
from the greater reflexion of the labellum, the pollinia will strike the pro- 
tuberant stigma. If the stigma of the lowest flower has already been fully 
fertilized, little or no pollen will be left on its dried surface ; but on the next 
succeeding flower, of which the stigma is viscid, large sheets of pollen will be 
left. Then, as soon as the bee arrives near the summit of the spike, she will 
again withdraw fresh pollinia ; will fly to the low flowers on another plant, 
and fertilize them ; and thus, as she goes her round and adds to her store of 
honey, she will continually fertilize fresh flowers and perpetuate the race of 
our autumnal spiranthes, which wiU yield honey to future generations of 
bees. 
In pursuing bis investigations on tbe mode of fertilization 
in Orchids, collateral subjects, of course, received their due 
share of Mr. Darwin^s attention, and the ^‘^why and where- 
fore of all the eccentricities of Orchid-life were boldly faced 
with the resolution of penetrating to the depth of the mystery. 
As might have been expected from such an inquirer, much 
curious investigation and some ingenious theories resulted, 
and the latter portion of the volume to which we have alluded 
deals with the following supplementary topics : The ideal type 
of structure in Orchids, or, as he terms it, The Homologies 
of Orchids,^^ on the gradation of organs, and, finally, the 
deductions to be made from his observations. Briefly, it may be 
stated, that he regards the typical Orchis flower as consisting 
of fifteen parts, arranged in five series of three parts in each, 
three to the sepals ; three to the petals ; six to the stamens, 
in two series of three in each ; and three to the pistil. In 
no Orchis are all these parts developed. 
Can we (he says) feel satisfied by saying that each Orchid was created 
exactly as we now see it, on a certain “ ideal type ; ” that the omnipotent 
Creator, having fixed on one plan for the whole order, did not please to do- 
