RECORD: Darwin, C. R. 1862.06.07. [Note on Bee orchid.] CUL-DAR70.4. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and edited by John van Wyhe 8.2021. RN1

NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Reproduced with permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin. The volume CUL-DAR70 contains material for Darwin's book Orchids (2d ed. 1877).


[4]

June 7th 62. R. Brown thought Bee O. like bee, to deter insects;

[insertion:] & he went so far that as to believe that in each country orchids resembled the insects of that country

certainly some resemblance; but not more or so much as Fly, which requires insects & the Spider like spider which all require insect, & so cannot be like spider to deter insects. The butterfly orchis is visited by the large nocturnal lepidoptera, but there is small resemblance to a Butterfly

Look again at O. [illeg] this as like a Bee as O. apifera, yet one requires insect agency & the other not. This is conclusive that resemblance of no use.

The names show, as monkey, lizard, [illeg] the number of resemblances; but these remarks are completely fanciful. Some slight, but as I cannot doubt, purely accidental & useless resemblance of the Ophrys & others to insect have given origin to person searching out for resemblance of this strangely shaped flower to some animal or another.


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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 25 September, 2022