For suppose, gentlemen, that all the species of Orchids, and not only they, but their congenersthe Gingers, the Arrowroots, the Bananasare all the descendants of one original form, which was most probably nearly allied to the Snowdrop and the Iris.

And where are the famous Orchids?

Whosoever has read Darwin's Fertilisation of Orchids, and finds in his own reason that the book is true, had best say nothing about the beautiful monsters till he has seen with his own eyes more than his master.

It is all jagged with the brown butts of its old fallen leaves; and among the butts perch broad-leaved ferns, and fleshy Orchids, and above them, just below the plume of mighty fronds, the yellow fox's brush, which is its spathe of flower.

And even had you answered that question, which would require whole centuries of observation as patient and accurate as that which Mr. Darwin employed on Orchids and climbing plants, how much nearer would you be to the deepest question of allDo these things exist, or only appear?

Under the Mombins the undergrowth is, for the most part, huge fans of Cocorite palm, thirty or forty feet high, their short rugged trunks, as usual, loaded with creepers, orchids, birds'-nests, and huge round black lumps, which are the nests of ants; all lodged among the butts of old leaves and the spathes of old flowers.

Some of the trees were rotten and orchids covered their decay with fantastic bloom.

Orchids hung by a large window.

To the dark, sombre tones of the heavily furnished chamber the gorgeous colours of the orchids, hanging in trails and festoons under their luminous dome of glass, offer a vivid contrast.

(And with a weary gesture he points to the orchids, as though they were things of which, not impossibly, "posies" might be made.)

The afternoon sunlight is making the orchids look more resplendently themselves than ever.

No more orchids.

No more orchids, by Grace Perkins.

© 5Aug35; AF29488. Henry de Monfreid (A); 17Oct62; R303045. MONIQUE, JEAN. Learn to wear orchids.

The buying of orchids always has in it a certain speculative flavour.

But, as it happened, he grew orchids, and had one ambitious little hothouse.

" "They found poor Batten lying dead, or dying, in a mangrove swampI forget which," he began again presently, "with one of these very orchids crushed up under his body.

And just for people in England to have orchids!

In the evening he would talk about these new orchids to his friends, and over and over again he reverted to his expectation of something strange.

" "I don't know for certain, but I don't think there are any orchids I know that have aerial rootlets quite like that.

But that did not prevent his talking to her about orchids generally, and this orchid in particular, whenever he felt inclined.

"There are such queer things about orchids," he said one day; "such possibilities of surprises.

Well, it seems that there are lots of orchids known the flower of which cannot possibly be used for fertilisation in that way.

The door banged intermittently in the morning breeze, and all the array of Wedderburn's orchids was shrivelled and prostrate.

He should belong to a tropical country and have orchids and palms for companionsbut instead, where do we find him?" "Please, Doctor," said Rap, who thought he could answer that question, "the miller's wife has a pair in a cage, but they aren't very pretty, 'cause they've scraped most of the feathers off their heads and rumpled their tails, trying to get out.