t Bauer does not draw very correctly! (602/3. F.
Bauer, whom Pritzel calls "der grosste Pflanzenmaler." The reference is
to his "Illustrations of Orchidaceous Plants, with Notes and Prefatory
Remarks by John Lindley," London, 1830-38, Folio. See "Fertilisation
of Orchids," Edition II., page 82.) And, good Heavens, what a jumble he
makes on functions.

LETTER 603. TO J.D. HOOKER. Down, October 22nd. [1861].

Acropera is a beast,--stigma does not open, everything seems contrived
that it shall NOT be anyhow fertilised. There is something very odd
about it, which could only be made out by incessant watching on several
individual plants.

I never saw the very curious flower of Canna; I should say the pollen
was deposited where it is to prevent inevitable self-fertilisation.
You have no time to try the smallest experiment, else it would be worth
while to put pollen on some stigmas (supposing that it does not seed
freely with you). Anyhow, insects would probably carry pollen from
flower to flower, for Kurr states the tube formed by pistil, stamen and
"nectarblatt" secretes (I presume internally) much nectar. Thanks for
sending me the curious flower.

Now I want much some wisdom; though I must write at considerable length,
your answer may be very brief.

(FIGURE 8.--FLORAL DIAGRAM OF AN ORCHID. The "missing bundle" could not
be found in some species.)

In R. Brown's admirable paper in the "Linnean Transacts." (603/4. Volume
XVI., page 685.) he suggests (and Lindley cautiously agrees) that the
flower of orchids consists of five whorls, the inner whorl of the two
whorls of anthers being all rudimentary, and when the labellum presents
ridges, two or three of the anthers of both whorls [are] combined with
it. In the ovarium there are six bundles of vessels: R. Brown judged by
transverse sections. It occurred to me, after what you said, to trace
the vessels longitudinally, and I have succeeded well. Look at my
diagram [Figure 8] (which please return, for I am transported with
admiration at it), which shows the vessels which I have traced, one
bundle to each of fifteen theoretical organs, and no more. You will see
the result is nothing new, but it seems to confirm strongly R. Brown,
for I have succeeded (perhaps he did, but he does not say so) in tracing
the vessels belonging to each organ in front of each other to the same
bundle in the ovarium: thus the vessels going to the lower sepal, to
the side of the labellum, and to