almost certain that bees do not habitually visit the common British species of Orchis. On the other hand, I have met with several accounts in entomological works of pollinia having been observed attached to moths.
Mr. F. Bond was so kind as to send me a large number of moths in this condition, with permission, at the risk of the destruction of the specimens, to remove the pollinia; and this is quite necessary, in order to ascertain to what species the pollinia belong. Singularly all the pollinia (with the exception of a few from Orchids of the genus Habenaria, presently to be mentioned) belonged to O. pyramidalis. I here give the list of twenty-three species of Lepidoptera, with the pollinia of O. pyramidalis attached to their probosces.
Polymmatus alexis.
Lycæna phlæas.
Arge galathea.
Hesperia sylvanus.
Hesperia„ linea.
Syrichthus alveolus.
Anthrocera filipendulæ.
Anthrocera„ trifolii.[1]
Lithosia complana.
Leucania lithargyria (two specimens).
Caradrina blanda.
Caradrina„ alsines.
Agrotis cateleuca.
Eubolia mensuraria (two specimens).
Hadena dentina.
Heliothis marginata (two specimens).
Xylophasia sublustris (two specimens).
Euclidia glyphica.
Toxocampa pastinum.
Melanippe rivaria.
Spiloides palealis.
Spiloides„ cinctalis.
Acontia luctuosa.
Fig. IV.
Head and proboscis of Acontia luctuosa with seven pairs of pollinia of Orchis pyramidalis attached to the proboscis.
A large majority of these moths and butterflies had two or three pairs of pollinia attached to them, and invariably to the proboscis. The Acontia had seven pair, and the Caradrina no less than eleven pair! The probosces of these two latter moths presented an extraordinary arborescent appearance (Fig. IV). The saddle-formed discs adhered to the proboscis, one before the other, with perfect symmetry (as necessarily follows from its insertion having been guided by the ridges on the labellum), each saddle bearing its pair of pollinia. The unfortunate Caradrina, with its proboscis thus encumbered, could hardly have reached the extremity of the nectary, and would soon have been starved to death. These two moths must have sucked many more than the seven and eleven flowers, of which they bore the trophies, for the earlier attached pollinia had lost much of their pollen, showing that they had touched many viscid stigmas.
The list shows, also, how many species of Lepidoptera visit the same kind of Orchis. The Hadena also frequents Habenaria. Probably all the Orchids provided with spur-like nectaries are visited indifferently by many kinds of moths. I have twice observed Gymnadenia conopsea, transplanted many miles from its native home, with nearly all its pollinia removed. Mr. Marshall of Ely[2] has made the same observation on transplanted specimens of O. maculata. I have not sufficient evidence, but I suspect that the Neottee and Malaxee, which have not tubular nectaries, are frequented by other orders of
- ↑ I am indebted to Mr. Parfitt for an examination of this moth, which is mentioned in the 'Entomologist's Weekly Intelligencer,' vol. ii. p. 182, and vol. iii. p. 3, Oct. 3, 1857. The pollinia were erroneously thought to belong to Ophrys apifera. The pollen had changed from its natural green colour to yellow; on washing it, however, and drying it, the green tint returned.
- ↑ 'Gardener's Chronicle,' 1861, p. 73. Mr. Marshall's communication was in answer to some remarks of mine on the subject previously published in the 'Gardener's Chronicle,' 1860, p. 528.
