JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 24, 1891; 
as 2 
or buried to prevent the emergence of the flies, but this measure 
may not be of any advantage, for it is a singular fact, true of galls 
‘both in gardens and on wild plants, that when kept quantities of 
^them produce not the gall-maker (or the presumed one), but a 
^parasite which has preyed upon the original tenant, whose skiD, 
perhaps, remains as a relic. So common is it to discover intruders 
in gulls that a name “ inquiline ” has been brought into use, mean¬ 
ing the occupier or parasite of a gall. 
Xor does the matter stop here. The 
first inquiline is found sometimes to 
toe followed by a second—that is to 
say, the grub which has killed the 
true grub of the gall falls itself a 
-victim to the grub of another species 
of fly. However, in spite of all this 
■destruction of one species by another 
.many of the gall flies must emerge in 
due course, or the galls would cease to 
appear upon our plants. Some of the 
’^parasites produce four-winged flies and 
some two-winged. 
A few descriptive particulars con- 
‘Cerning the gall flies of our gardens 
^generally should be appended. The 
’■-majority of them are of minute size, 
and of dull colours ; they are mostly 
•summer insects, passing the winter in 
the larval or pupal state. Probably 
'the most notable peculiarity in their 
; appearance, distinguishing them from 
•oilier flies, is the thick egg-shaped 
abdomen joined to the thorax by a 
•short stalk. The thorax is oval, the 
•head small, furnished with slender 
antennae (which are much vibrated by 
the females when seeking places for 
their eggs), the wings narrow, occa- 
•sionally very long. In many species 
the male flies are rarely seen ; this 
lias given rise to the supposition that 
the female may be able, as in the 
-- aphis tribe, to continue the succession 
•of broods without the assistance of 
’the opposite sex. The ovipositor is 
generally short, but the remarkably 
irritating effect produced upon vege- 
1 tat ion by the punctures introducing the eggs, leads us to think 
i;hat some poisonous fluid is thrown into the wound with the egg. 
If the gardener feels inclined to be vexed when he sees his plants 
•-or shrubs disfigured with, or contorted by galls, I would ask him to 
remember what he and his fellow men owe to one well-known 
•species of gall we obtain from the East. 
An exceedingly curious family of small insects links the 
•gfcll flies with the ichneumons. They are parasitic in their nature, 
■ and are believed to attack occasionally the field cockroach. If they 
also make our domestic cockroach their victim, they are useful 
flies ; for, as I have pointed out, this household pest visits the 
tflower garden during the summer, often escaping notice from its 
•nocturnal habits. These flies of the Evania genus have a very 
1 bulky thorax ard a tiny abdomen, quite contrary to the usual 
*pro portion, but long legs. Their appearance seems to indicate 
^hat they folio w their victims by running, and some think they 
■overe brought over with exotic plants.— Entomologist. 
CATTLEYA LABIATA VERA. 
QurrE an important gathering of horticulturists took place on 
^Friday, September 18th, in Messrs. Protheroe & Morris’s Sale 
Booms, Cheapside, and very seldom do so many eager buyers 
•assemble to compete for the possession of imported plants. For 
-several hours the rooms were crowded, it was evident that the 
Orchid interest was as lively as ever, and a brisk contest resulted in 
substantial prices. The cause of the excitement was a consignment 
-of fine healthy plants of the true o'd autumn flowering Cattleya 
labiata, re-introduced by Messrs. F. Sander & Co. of St. Albans, and 
it was not surprising that a plant which had been so rare in cultiva¬ 
tion should have been in such great demand. Few Orchids have 
so interesting a history connected with it as the original Cattleya 
labiata, but it is extremely probable that we shall never hear the 
whole of the facts connected with this beautiful Orchid, for many 
of the links in the chain of evidence have been lost, and others can 
only be supplied by those who are not likely to do so at present. 
FIC. 4?.—CYPRIPEDIUM ANTIGONE. 
It is certain, however, that for many years every effort made to 
discover the native habitat of this Cattleya failed completely ; 
collectors were repeatedly dispatched by the leading firms, and 
thousands of miles have been explored without the slightest 
success. It would be impossible to calculate how much has been 
expended upon these fruitless searches, and it had gradually 
become a fixed idea that the original Cattleya labiata was really 
extinct. Continued perseverance has, however, been rewarded, 
and cultivators have at last an opportunity of possessing one of the 
most historically interesting, and at the same time one of the most 
beautiful Orchids. 
It is remarkable that while the other forms of the C. labiata 
group are widely spread in the Brazils, and have been introduced 
in quantities, the old form, which is especially valued for its autumn 
flowering characters, and the diversity it presents in colouring, 
should be restricted to so comparatively small an area. Fortunately 
the supply seems to be fairly large now it is found, and all danger 
of the plant becoming extinct in cultivation will soon be 
removed. 
In reference to the history of this Cattleya, Mr. F. Sander has 
obliged me with the following note :— 
“ It was discovered in 1817 by Mr. William Swainson in the 
Brazils. He sent plants to London, and one flowered in 1818 with 
Mr. Cattley of Barnet, after whom Lindley named the genus. 
The elder Hooker also had a piece from Mr. Cattley, and with him 
it flowered in 1821. There were I should think some two or 
three dozen plants sent at first. Mrs. Horsfall, Liverpool, re¬ 
ceived some from the captains of vessels trading with the Brazils 
about 1830, and about 1845 a small lot arrived in France. There 
the matter rested until about 1882, when a small consignment 
came to the London Zoological Gardens, and passed into the hands 
of Mr. B. S. Williams of Holloway. Again, two years ago, a 
small consignment arrived in France. For Lord Hume’s plant 
I offered 200 guineas, and was refused ; it is a large specimen, 
and Mr. Turnbull grew it for fifty years. I should think the 
highest price paid for a plant is 110 guineas, but such figures as 
50 guineas and 75 guineas have often been paid. Of course the 
plants sold were always small, i.e., with few pseudo-bulb?, as its 
