inished, polished,
immaculate, and reigning supreme through sheer distinction and
excellence at every point--and also because theirs is clearly no
ephemeral convolvulus-like beauty which will fade and vanish away
in a twinkling, but is a beauty intensely matured, strong and deep
and firm.

* * *

Of the 450 species of orchids found in the Sikkim Forest, many are
very rare. But fortunately the rarest are not the most beautiful in
colour and form. Some very beautiful orchids are also very common.
The most common are the dendrobiums, of which there are about
forty species. The finest and best known is the _Dendrobium
nobile._ It grows in the lower hills and valleys up to 5,000 feet, and
also in the plains. The flowers vary both in size and shade of colour;
but in Sikkim the sepals and petals are always purple, shading off
into white at the base. The tip has a central blotch of very deep
purple surrounded by a broad margin of pale yellow or white. This
orchid is now very common in English hot-houses, so here is one
point of contact with the tropical forest.

The _D. densiflorum_ is equally common and grows in much the
same region. It flowers in a dense cluster on a stalk somewhat after
the fashion of a hyacinth. The sepals and petals of this beautiful
species are of a pale yellow, while the lip is of a rich orange. One of
the most charming of the Sikkim dendrobiums has the smell of
violets, and the sepals and petals are white-tipped with violet, the
stem being sometimes 2 1/2 feet long. Another noteworthy
dendrobium is the _D. pierardi,_ whose prevailing colour is a
beautiful rose or pale purple.

After the dendrobiums the coelogyne are the most worth noting. The
_ Coelogyne cristata_ is common at elevations of from 5,000 to
8,000 feet, and flowers during March and April. It has numerous
large flowers, which are pure white throughout, with the exception
of the lamellae of the lip, which are yellow. It may be seen in flower
in March in the orchid-house at Kew. In the forest it grows in such
profusion as to make the trunk of a dead tree look as if it were
covered with snow.

The _C. humilis_ is known as the Himalayan crocus. It grows like a
crocus from a pseudo-bulb at elevations from 7,000 to 8,500 feet,
and flowers during February and March. The flowers are white and
from 2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter. The lip is speckled with purple
towards the edge.

Not so common but larger and handsomer than the dendrobiums ar