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THE BOOK OF AUSTRALIAN ORCHIDS.

THE following letter from Charles Darwin, the eminent naturalist, relates to Mr. Fitzgerald's recently published book on Australian Orchids. Such an acknowledgment from a great English writer on the fertilization of orchids cannot fail to be interesting to Mr. Fitzgerald, and also to those who have read the first part of his scientific work:—

"Down, Beckenham, Kent Railway Station,

Orpingham S. E. R., July 16, 1875.

"Sir,—Owing to Mr. Russell not having found my proper address, and his subsequent absence on the Continent, I received the present of your magnificent work, with its excellent illustrations, only about a week ago. I have now read it with much interest. I am astonished that such a work could have been prepared at Sydney. I have been particularly interested by your account of the movements of Pterostylis and Caledonia. Do you think it possible that the calli on the labellum are gnawed or sucked by insects? A careful examination of the flowers from which the pollinia have been removed by insects would be well worth making. I daresay you have seen a good paper on the former genus in a late volume of the New Zealand Institute. I have been even more interested about the closed flowers of Thelymitra, as the case is closely analogous to the equally inaccessible one of the bee ophrys in Europe. I suppose you have few coadjutors, but it would be well to ascertain whether the flowers are closed during years when the seasons are very different, and in all parts of the plant's range. I will venture to make one other suggestion, viz., with sterile species like Dendrobium Hillii, to try the effect of pollen taken from a distinct seedling plant, in accordance with the observations of Fritz Müller.

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"With my best thanks and good wishes for your future success,

"I remain, dear Sir, yours faithfully,

(Signed) "CH. DARWIN."