RECORD: Darwin, C. R. n.d. Draft of Cross and self fertilisation, folios 35-36. CUL-DAR63.32r-33r. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and edited by John van Wyhe 12.2022. RN1

NOTE: Reproduced with permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin.


(35

(35

this instance. What induces insects to visit those flowers I will not conjecture. The two pointed pouches covering the viscid balls viscid discs of the [illeg] pollinia, which may be compared to two long stoppers to small bristles stand near each other not far apart & project on the stigma: any object sli gently pushed slight right against one of them (in Orchis the push served should be directed rather lower down) downwards) against these depresses the pouch, & adheres to touches & adheres to the viscid ball; & the pollinia is easily removed which may be compared to two long stoppers lightly fixed dropped into two very small brittles. The structure of the flower leads me to believe that small insects (as we shall see in the case of Listera) craw crawl out along the bent labellum & that before bending their heads downwards to the base of the labellum they strike against one or both of the pouches; & get the pollinia attached to them: they then fly to another flower with the pollinia attached to their heads, & then bending down to the base of the labellum, the ends of pollinia owing to their doubly doubly bent caudicles of the pollinia, pollen grains was thus ends strike the sticky stigmatic surface & leave pollen-grains in it. We shall see show under the next species reason to believe that the doubly doubly & rectangularly bent caudicles of the present species, assures to serve serve instead of the usual movement of depression—)

(36

(36

(That insects do visit these flowers of the Fly Ophrys & remove the pollinia, though not effectively or sufficiently the following cases show. During several years Before the

before occasionally a few (a)

[8 lines not transcribed]

[table not transcribed]

In 1858, seventeen 17 plants bearing 57 flowers growing near each other

do do {25 plants growing in another spot & bearing 65 flowers}

In 1860, 17 plants, bearing 61 flowers

In 1861 4 plants bearing 24 flowers from S. Kent; all the fusion plants having grew grown in here Kent} Total

We here see that out of 207 flowers examined, not half had been visited by insects. Of the 88 flowers visited, 31 had only one pollinia removed. As the visits of insects are indispensable to the fertilisation of this orchid, such insects do not it is remarkable (as in the case in some few s of Orchis fusca) that this Ophrys has not been rendered more attractive to insects. But the number of pod which set number of capsules produced is even proportionally even less th than the number of flowers visited by insects. The year 1861 was extraordinarily favourable to this species in my neighbourhood & I never saw such numbers in flowers; accordingly I marked marked eleven plants, which bore 47 49 flowers, but then produced only six pods seven six capsules. Two


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Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

File last updated 2 January, 2023