48 
BLUEFIELDS. 
brook, was an Orchideous plant more curious, and 
much more rare ; since I found it only on one or 
two other occasions all the time I was in Jamaica. 
It was Angrcecum funale ; entirely leafless at all sea- 
sons, and consisting of an intertwined congeries of 
contorted roots, long, slender, and cord-like, of a 
pale glaucous hue, except at the lengthening tips, 
which are bright yellow-green, and polished. The 
greater portion of these roots hang down in an irre- 
gular mass ; but such as touch the bark of the tree 
grow to it, flattening themselves on that side which is 
in contact, and clinging so closely and firmly to the 
bark that it requires considerable force to detach 
them, the root often breaking rather than relinquish- 
ing its hold. This habit and mode of clinging is 
common to the roots of many OrcJiidecB, and is a 
curious provision for giving to the plants a secure 
hold in situations, such as the trunk of a smooth- 
barked tree, where it would have seemed impossible. 
This AngrcBcum throws out its flowers through the 
whole year, but not in great numbers, nor in spikes, 
but singly, or by twos or threes. The blossom is 
moderately large and pretty, the sepals and lateral 
petals pale green, the lip expanded and delicately 
white, with a long slender spur. The seed-vessel is 
slender, spindle-shaped, somewhat fluted, nearly four 
inches long, of a dull yellow-green when ripe. 
While I was up in the Calabash tree, engaged in de- 
taching the bunches of Oncidium, the beautiful Long- 
tailed Humming-bird (Trochilus polytmus)c2ime shoot- 
ing by with its two long velvet-black feathers fluttering 
like streamers behind it ; and began to suck at the 
