byinsectsorwind，thereisNOCASEofLAND—animalsbeinghermaphroditewithouttheconcourseoftwoindividuals。"
AlettertoDr。AsaGray（September5th，1857）givesthesubstanceofthepaperinthe"Gardeners’Chronicle":——
"LatelyIwasledtoexaminebudsofkidneybeanwiththepollenshed;butIwasledtobelievethatthepollencouldHARDLYgetonthestigmabywindorotherwise，exceptbybeesvisiting[theflower]andmovingthewingpetals:henceIincludedasmallbunchofflowersintwobottlesineverywaytreatedthesame:theflowersinoneIdailyjustmomentarilymoved，asifbyabee;thesesetthreefinepods，theotherNOTONE。Ofcoursethislittleexperimentmustbetriedagain，andthisyearinEnglanditistoolate，astheflowersseemnowseldomtoset。Ifbeesarenecessarytothisflower’sself—fertilisation，beesmustalmostcrossthem，astheirdustedright—sideofheadandrightlegsconstantlytouchthestigma。
"Ihave，also，latelybeenre—observingdailyLobeliafulgens——thisinmygardenisnevervisitedbyinsects，andneversetsseeds，withoutpollenbeputonthestigma（whereasthesmallblueLobeliaisvisitedbybeesanddoessetseed）;Imentionthisbecausetherearesuchbeautifulcontrivancestopreventthestigmaevergettingitsownpollen;whichseemsonlyexplicableonthedoctrineoftheadvantageofcrosses。"
Thepaperwassupplementedbyasecondin1858。（"Gardeners’Chronicle"，1858，page828。In1861anotherpaperonFertilisationappearedinthe"Gardeners’Chronicle"，page552，inwhichheexplainedtheactionofinsectsonVincamajor。Hewasattractedtotheperiwinklebythefactthatitisnotvisitedbyinsectsandneversetseeds。）Thechiefobjectofthesepublicationsseemstohavebeentoobtaininformationastothepossibilityofgrowingvarietiesofleguminousplantsneareachother，andyetkeepingthemtrue。ItiscuriousthatthePapilionaceaeshouldnotonlyhavebeenthefirstflowerswhichattractedhisattentionbytheirobviousadaptationtothevisitsofinsects，butshouldalsohaveconstitutedoneofhissorestpuzzles。Thecommonpeaandthesweetpeagavehimmuchdifficulty，because，althoughtheyareasobviouslyfittedforinsect—visitsastherestoftheorder，yettheirvarietieskeeptrue。
Thefactisthatneitheroftheseplantsbeingindigenous，theyarenotperfectlyadaptedforfertilisationbyBritishinsects。Hecouldnot，atthisstageofhisobservations，knowthattheco—ordinationbetweenaflowerandtheparticularinsectwhichfertilisesitmaybeasdelicateasthatbetweenalockanditskey，sothatthisexplanationwasnotlikelytooccurtohim。（Hewasofcoursealivetovarietyinthehabitsofinsects。
Hepublishedashortnoteinthe"EntomologistsWeeklyIntelligencer"，1860，askingwhethertheTineinaandothersmallmothssuckflowers。）
BesidesobservingtheLeguminosae，hehadalreadybegun，asshownintheforegoingextracts，toattendtothestructureofotherflowersinrelationtoinsects。Atthebeginningof1860heworkedatLeschenaultia（Hepublishedashortpaperonthemanneroffertilisationofthisflower，inthe"Gardeners’Chronicle"，1871，page1166。），whichatfirstpuzzledhim，butwasultimatelymadeout。ApassageinaletterchieflyrelatingtoLeschenaultiaseemstoshowthatitwasonlyinthespringof1860thathebeganwidelytoapplyhisknowledgetotherelationofinsectstootherflowers。Thisissomewhatsurprising，whenwerememberthathehadreadSprengelmanyyearsbefore。Hewrote（May14）:——
"Ishouldlookatthiscuriouscontrivanceasspeciallyrelatedtovisitsofinsects;asIbegintothinkisalmostuniversallythecase。"
EveninJuly1862hewrotetoDr。AsaGray:——
"Thereisnoendtotheadaptations。Oughtnotthesecasestomakeoneverycautiouswhenonedoubtsabouttheuseofallparts？Ifullybelievethatthestructureofallirregularflowersisgovernedinrelationtoinsects。InsectsaretheLordsofthefloral（toquotethewitty"Athenaeum"）world。"
HewasprobablyattractedtothestudyofOrchidsbythefactthatseveralkindsarecommonnearDown。Thelettersof1860showthattheseplantsoccupiedagooddealofhisattention;andin1861hegavepartofthesummerandalltheautumntothesubject。HeevidentlyconsideredhimselfidleforwastingtimeonOrchids，whichoughttohavebeengivento’VariationunderDomestication。’Thushewrote:——
"Thereistomeincomparablymoreinterestinobservingthaninwriting;
butIfeelquiteguiltyintrespassingonthesesubjects，andnotstickingtovarietiesoftheconfoundedcocks，hensandducks。IhearthatLyellissavageatme。IshallneverresistLinumnextsummer。"
Itwasinthesummerof1860thathemadeoutoneofthemoststrikingandfamiliarfactsinthebook，namely，themannerinwhichthepollenmassesinOrchisareadaptedforremovalbyinsects。HewrotetoSirJ。D。HookerJuly12:——
"IhavebeenexaminingOrchispyramidalis，anditalmostequals，perhapsevenbeats，yourListeracase;thestickyglandsarecongenitallyunitedintoasaddle—shapedorgan，whichhasgreatpowerofmovement，andseizesholdofabristle（orproboscis）inanadmirablemanner，andthenanothermovementtakesplaceinthepollenmasses，bywhichtheyarebeautifullyadaptedtoleavepollenonthetwoLATERALstigmaticsurfaces。Ineversawanythingsobeautiful。"
InJuneofthesameyearhewrote:——
"YouspeakofadaptationbeingrarelyVISIBLE，thoughpresentinplants。I
havejustrecentlybeenlookingatthecommonOrchis，andIdeclareIthinkitsadaptationsineverypartoftheflowerquiteasbeautifulandplain，orevenmorebeautifulthanintheWoodpecker。Ihavewrittenandsentanoticeforthe"Gardeners’Chronicle"（June9，1860。Thisseemstohaveattractedsomeattention，especiallyamongentomologists，asitwasreprintedinthe"EntomologistsWeeklyIntelligencer"，1860。），onacuriousdifficultyintheBeeOrchis，andshouldmuchliketohearwhatyouthinkofthecase。InthisarticleIhaveincidentallytouchedonadaptationtovisitsofinsects;butthecontrivancetokeepthestickyglandsfreshandstickybeatsalmosteverythinginnature。Ineverrememberhavingseenitdescribed，butitmusthavebeen，and，asIoughtnotinmybooktogivetheobservationasmyown，Ishouldbeverygladtoknowwherethisbeautifulcontrivanceisdescribed。"
HewrotealsotoDr。Gray，June8，1860:——
"Talkingofadaptation，Ihavelatelybeenlookingatourcommonorchids，andIdaresaythefactsareasoldandwell—knownasthehills，butIhavebeensostruckwithadmirationatthecontrivances，thatIhavesentanoticetothe"Gardeners’Chronicle"。TheOphrysapifera，offers，asyouwillsee，acuriouscontradictioninstructure。"
Besidesattendingtothefertilisationoftheflowershewasalready，in1860，busywiththehomologiesoftheparts，asubjectofwhichhemadegooduseintheOrchidbook。HewrotetoSirJosephHooker（July）:——
"ItisarealgoodjokemydiscussinghomologiesofOrchidswithyou，afterexaminingonlythreeorfourgenera;andthisveryfactmakesmefeelpositiveIamright！Idonotquiteunderstandsomeofyourterms;butsometimeImustgetyoutoexplainthehomologies;forIamintenselyinterestedonthesubject，justasatagameofchess。"
Thisworkwasvaluablefromasystematicpointofview。In1880hewrotetoMr。Bentham:——
"ItwasverykindinyoutowritetomeabouttheOrchideae，forithaspleasedmetoanextremedegreethatIcouldhavebeenoftheLEASTusetoyouaboutthenatureoftheparts。"
ThepleasurewhichhisearlyobservationsonOrchidsgavehimisshowninsuchextractsasthefollowingfromalettertoSirJ。D。Hooker（July27，1861）:——
"YoucannotconceivehowtheOrchidshavedelightedme。Theycamesafe，butboxrathersmashed;cylindricaloldcocoa—orsnuff—canistermuchsafer。Ienclosepostage。Asanaccountofthemovement，IshallalludetowhatIsupposeisOncidium，tomakeCERTAIN，——istheenclosedflowerwithcrumpledpetalsthisgenus？AlsoImostspeciallywanttoknowwhattheenclosedlittleglobularbrownOrchidis。IhaveonlyseenpollenofaCattleyaonabee，butsurelyhaveyounotunintentionallysentmewhatI
wantedmost（afterCatasetumorMormodes），viz。oneoftheEpidendreae？！I
PARTICULARLYwant（andwillpresentlytellyouwhy）anotherspikeofthislittleOrchid，witholderflowers，someevenalmostwithered。"
HisdelightinobservationisagainshowninalettertoDr。Gray（1863）。
referringtoCruger’slettersfromTrinidad，hewrote:——"Happyman，hehasactuallyseencrowdsofbeesflyingroundCatasetum，withthepolliniastickingtotheirbacks！"
ThefollowingextractsofletterstoSirJ。D。Hookerillustratefurthertheinterestwhichhisworkexcitedinhim:——
"Veitchsentmeagrandlotthismorning。Whatwonderfulstructures！
"Ihavenowseenenough，andyoumustnotsendmemore，forthoughIenjoylookingatthemMUCH，andithasbeenveryusefultome，seeingsomanydifferentforms，itisidleness。Formyobjecteachspeciesrequiresstudyingfordays。Iwishyouhadtimetotakeupthegroup。Iwouldgiveagooddealtoknowwhattherostellumis，ofwhichIhavetracedsomanycuriousmodifications。Isupposeitcannotbeoneofthestigmas（Itisamodificationoftheupperstigma。），thereseemsagreattendencyfortwolateralstigmastoappear。Mypaper，thoughtouchingononlysubordinatepointswillrun，Ifear，to100MS。foliopages！Thebeautyoftheadaptationofpartsseemstomeunparalleled。Ishouldthinkorguesswaxypollenwasmostdifferentiated。InCypripediumwhichseemsleastmodified，andamuchexterminatedgroup，thegrainsaresingle。InALLOTHERS，asfarasIhaveseen，theyareinpacketsoffour;andthesepacketscohereintomanywedge—formedmassesinOrchis;intoeight，four，andfinallytwo。
Itseemscuriousthataflowershouldexist，whichcouldATMOSTfertiliseonlytwootherflowers，seeinghowabundantpollengenerallyis;thisfactIlookatasexplainingtheperfectionofthecontrivancebywhichthepollen，soimportantfromitsfewness，iscarriedfromflowertoflower"
（1861）。
"Iwasthinkingofwritingtoyouto—day，whenyournotewiththeOrchidscame。WhatfrightfultroubleyouhavetakenaboutVanilla;youreallymustnottakeanatommore;fortheOrchidsaremoreplaythanrealwork。I
havebeenmuchinterestedbyEpidendrum，andhaveworkedallmorningatthem;forheaven’ssake，donotcorruptmebyanymore"（August30，1861）。
HeoriginallyintendedtopublishhisnotesonOrchidsasapaperintheLinneanSociety’sJournal，butitsoonbecameevidentthataseparatevolumewouldbeamoresuitableformofpublication。InalettertoSirJ。D。Hooker，September24，1861，hewrites:——
"Ihavebeenacting，Ifearthatyouwillthink，likeagoose;andperhapsintruthIhave。WhenIfinishedafewdaysagomyOrchispaper，whichturnsout140foliopages！！andthoughtoftheexpenseofwoodcuts，Isaidtomyself，IwilloffertheLinneanSocietytowithdrawit，andpublishitinapamphlet。ItthenflashedonmethatperhapsMurraywouldpublishit，soIgavehimacautiousdescription，andofferedtosharerisksandprofits。Thismorninghewritesthathewillpublishandtakeallrisks，andshareprofitsandpayforallillustrations。Itisarisk，andheavenknowswhetheritwillnotbeadeadfailure，butIhavenotdeceivedMurray，and[have]toldhimthatitwouldinterestthosealonewhocaredmuchfornaturalhistory。IhopeIdonotexaggeratethecuriosityofthemanyspecialcontrivances。"
HewrotethetwofollowingletterstoMr。Murrayaboutthepublicationofthebook:]
Down，September21[1861]。
MydearSir，Willyouhavethekindnesstogivemeyouropinion，whichIshallimplicitlyfollow。IhavejustfinishedaverylongpaperintendedforLinneanSociety（thetitleisenclosed），andyesterdayforthefirsttimeitoccurredtomethatPOSSIBLYitmightbeworthpublishingseparatelywhichwouldsavemetroubleanddelay。Thefactsarenew，andhavebeencollectedduringtwentyyearsandstrikemeascurious。LikeaBridgewatertreatise，thechiefobjectistoshowtheperfectionofthemanycontrivancesinOrchids。Thesubjectofpropagationisinterestingtomostpeople，andistreatedinmypapersothatanywomancouldreadit。Partsaredryandpurelyscientific;butIthinkmypaperwouldinterestagoodmanyofsuchpersonswhocareforNaturalHistory，butnoothers……Itwouldbeaverylittlebook，andIbelieveyouthinkverylittlebooksobjectionable。IhavemyselfGREATdoubtsonthesubject。Iamveryapttothinkthatmygeeseareswans;butthesubjectseemstomecuriousandinteresting。
Ibegyounottobeguidedintheleastinordertoobligeme，butasfarasyoucanjudge，pleasegivemeyouropinion。IfIweretopublishseparately，Iwouldagreetoanyterms，suchashalfriskandhalfprofit，orwhatyouliked;butIwouldnotpublishonmysolerisk，fortobefrank，Ihavebeentoldthatnopublisherwhatever，undersuchcircumstances，caresforthesuccessofabook。
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。MURRAY。
Down，September24[1861]。
MydearSir，Iamverymuchobligedforyournoteandveryliberaloffer。Ihavehadsomequalmsandfears。AllthatIcanfeelsureofisthattheMS。
containsmanynewandcuriousfacts，andIamsuretheEssaywouldhaveinterestedme，andwillinterestthosewhofeellivelyinterestinthewondersofnature;buthowfarthepublicwillcareforsuchminutedetails，Icannotatalltell。Itisaboldexperiment;andatworst，cannotentailmuchloss;asacertainamountofsalewill，Ithink，beprettycertain。Alargesaleisoutofthequestion。AsfarasIcanjudge，generallythepointswhichinterestmeIfindinterestothers;butI
maketheexperimentwithfearandtrembling，——notformyownsake，butforyours……
[OnSeptember28thhewrotetoSirJ。D。Hooker:——
"Whatagoodsoulyouarenottosneeratme，buttopatmeontheback。I
havethegreatestdoubtwhetherIamnotgoingtodo，inpublishingmypaper，amostridiculousthing。Itwouldannoymemuch，butonlyforMurray’ssake，ifthepublicationwereadeadfailure。"
Therewasstillmuchworktobedone，andinOctoberhewasstillreceivingOrchidsfromKew，andwrotetoHooker:——
"Itisimpossibletothankyouenough。IwasalmostmadatthewealthofOrchids。"Andagain——
"Mr。VeitchmostgenerouslyhassentmetwosplendidbudsofMormodes，whichwillbecapitalfordissection，butIfearwillneverbeirritable;
soforthesakeofcharityandloveofheavendo，Ibeseechyou，observewhatmovementtakesplaceinCychnoches，andwhatpartmustbetouched。
Mr。V。hasalsosentmeonesplendidflowerofCatasetum，themostwonderfulOrchidIhaveseen。"
OnOctober13thhewrotetoSirJosephHooker:——
"ItseemsthatIcannotexhaustyourgoodnature。Ihavehadthehardestday’sworkatCatasetumandbudsofMormodes，andbelieveIunderstandatlastthemechanismofmovementsandthefunctions。Catasetumisabeautifulcaseofslightmodificationofstructureleadingtonewfunctions。IneverwasmoreinterestedinanysubjectinmylifethaninthisofOrchids。Ioweverymuchtoyou。"
Againtothesamefriend，November1，1861:——
"IfyoureallycanspareanotherCatasetum，whennearlyready，Ishallbemostgrateful;hadInotbettersendforit？Thecaseistrulymarvellous;
the（so—called）sensation，orstimulusfromalighttouchiscertainlytransmittedthroughtheantennaeformorethanoneinchINSTANTANEOUSLY……A
cursedinsectorsomethingletmylastflowerofflastnight。"
ProfessordeCandollehasremarked（’Darwinconsidere，etc。，’’ArchivesdesSciencesPhysiquesetNaturelles，’3emeperiode。Tomevii。481，1882
（May）。）ofmyfather，"Cen’estpasluiquiauraitdemandedeconstruiredespalaispourylogerdeslaboratoires。"Thiswassingularlytrueofhisorchidwork，orratheritwouldbenearerthetruthtosaythathehadnolaboratory，foritwasonlyafterthepublicationofthe’FertilisationofOrchids，’thathebuilthimselfagreenhouse。HewrotetoSirJ。D。Hooker（December24th，1862）:——
"AndnowIamgoingtotellyouaMOSTimportantpieceofnews！！Ihavealmostresolvedtobuildasmallhot—house;myneighbour’sreallyfirst—
rategardenerhassuggestedit，andofferedtomakemeplans，andseethatitiswelldone，andheisreallyacleverfellow，whowinslotsofprizes，andisveryobservant。Hebelievesthatweshouldsucceedwithalittlepatience;itwillbeagrandamusementformetoexperimentwithplants。"
Againhewrote（February15th，1863）:——
"Iwritenowbecausethenewhot—houseisready，andIlongtostockit，justlikeaschoolboy。Couldyoutellmeprettysoonwhatplantsyoucangiveme;andthenIshallknowwhattoorder？AnddoadvisemehowIhadbettergetsuchplantsasyoucanSPARE。Woulditdotosendmytax—cartearlyinthemorning，onadaythatwasnotfrosty，liningthecartwithmats，andarrivingherebeforenight？Ihavenoideawhetherthisdegreeofexposure（andofcoursethecartwouldbecold）couldinjurestove—
plants;theywouldbeaboutfivehours（withbait）onthejourneyhome。"
Aweeklaterhewrote:——
"youcannotimaginewhatpleasureyourplantsgiveme（farmorethanyourdeadWedgwoodwarecangiveyou）;andIgoandgloatoverthem，butweprivatelyconfessedtoeachother，thatiftheywerenotourown，perhapsweshouldnotseesuchtranscendentbeautyineachleaf。"
AndinMarch，whenhewasextremelyunwellhewrote:——
"AfewwordsabouttheStove—plants;theydosoamuseme。Ihavecrawledtoseethemtwoorthreetimes。Willyoucorrectandanswer，andreturnenclosed。Ihavehuntedinallmybooksandcannotfindthesenames（Hisdifficultywithregardtothenamesofplantsisillustrated，withregardtoaLupineonwhichhewasatwork，inanextractfromaletter（July21，1866）toSirJ。D。Hooker:"Isenttothenurserygarden，whenceIboughttheseed，andcouldonlyhearthatitwas’thecommonblueLupine，’themansaying’hewasnoscholard，anddidnotknowLatin，andthatpartieswhomakeexperimentsoughttofindoutthenames。’"），andIlikemuchtoknowthefamily。"
ThebookwaspublishedMay15th，1862。OfitsreceptionhewritestoMurray，June13thand18th:——
"TheBotanistspraisemyOrchid—booktotheskies。Someonesentme（perhapsyou）the’Parthenon，’withagoodreview。The"Athenaeum"（May24，1862。）treatsmewithverykindpityandcontempt;butthereviewerknewnothingofhissubject。"
"Thereisasuperb，butIfearexaggerated，reviewinthe’LondonReview，’
（June14，1862。）ButIhavenotbeenafool，asIthoughtIwas，topublish（Doubtsonthispointstill，however，occurredtohimaboutthistime。HewrotetoProf。Oliver（June8）:"IamgladthatyouhavereadmyOrchis—bookandseemtoapproveofit;forIneverpublishedanythingwhichIsomuchdoubtedwhetheritwasworthpublishing，andindeedIstilldoubt。Thesubjectinterestedmebeyondwhat，Isuppose，itisworth。"）;
forAsaGray，aboutthemostcompetentjudgeintheworld，thinksalmostashighlyofthebookasdoesthe’LondonReview。’The"Athenaeum"willhinderthesalegreatly。"
TheRev。M。J。Berkeleywastheauthorofthenoticeinthe’LondonReview，’
asmyfatherlearnedfromSirJ。D。Hooker，whoadded，’Ithoughtitverywelldoneindeed。IhavereadagooddealoftheOrchid—book，andechoallhesays。"
Tothismyfatherreplied（June30th，1862）:——
"MydearOldFriend，Youspeakofmywarmingthecocklesofyourheart，butyouwillneverknowhowoftenyouhavewarmedmine。Itisnotyourapprobationofmyscientificwork（thoughIcareforthatmorethanforanyone’s）:itissomethingdeeper。TothisdayIrememberkeenlyaletteryouwrotetomefromOxford，whenIwasattheWater—cure，andhowitcheeredmewhenIwasutterlywearyoflife。Well，myOrchis—bookisasuccess（butIdonotknowwhetheritsells。）"
Inanotherlettertothesamefriend，hewrote:——
"YouhavepleasedmemuchbywhatyousayinregardtoBenthamandOliverapprovingofmybook;forIhadgotasortofnervousness，anddoubtedwhetherIhadnotmadeanegregiousfoolofmyself，andconcoctedpleasantlittlestingingremarksforreviews，suchas’Mr。Darwin’sheadseemstohavebeenturnedbyacertaindegreeofsuccess，andhethinksthatthemosttriflingobservationsareworthpublication。’"
Mr。Bentham’sapprovalwasgiveninhisPresidentialAddresstotheLinneanSociety，May24，1862，andwasallthemorevaluablebecauseitcamefromonewhowasbynomeanssupposedtobefavourabletoevolutionarydoctrines。]
CHARLESDARWINTOASAGRAY。
Down，June10[1862]。
MydearGray，YourgeneroussympathymakesyouoverestimatewhatyouhavereadofmyOrchid—book。ButyourletterofMay18thand26thhasgivenmeanalmostfoolishamountofsatisfaction。Thesubjectinterestedme，Iknew，beyonditsrealvalue;butIhadlatelygottothinkthatIhadmademyselfacompletefoolbypublishinginasemi—popularform。NowIshallconfidentlydefytheworld。IhaveheardthatBenthamandOliverapproveofit;butIhaveheardtheopinionofnooneelsewhoseopinionisworthafarthing……Nodoubtmyvolumecontainsmucherror:howcuriouslydifficultitistobeaccurate，thoughItrymyutmost。Yournoteshaveinterestedmebeyondmeasure。Icannowaffordtod——mycriticswithineffablecomplacencyofmind。Cordialthanksforthisbenefit。Itissurprisingtomethatyoushouldhavestrengthofmindtocareforscience，amidsttheawfuleventsdailyoccurringinyourcountry。Idailylookatthe"Times"
withalmostasmuchinterestasanAmericancoulddo。Whenwillpeacecome？itisdreadfultothinkofthedesolationoflargepartsofyourmagnificentcountry;andallthespeechlessmiserysufferedbymany。I
hopeandthinkitnotunlikelythatweEnglisharewronginconcludingthatitwilltakealongtimeforprosperitytoreturntoyou。Itisanawfulsubjecttoreflecton……
[Dr。AsaGrayreviewedthebookin’Silliman’sJournal’（’Silliman’sJournal，’volumexxiv。page138。HereisgivenanaccountofthefertilisationofPlatantheraHookeri。P。hyperboreaisdiscussedinDr。
Gray’s’Enumeration’inthesamevolume，page259;also，withotherspecies，inasecondnoticeoftheOrchid—bookatpage420。），wherehespeaks，instrongterms，ofthefascinationwhichitmusthaveforevenslightlyinstructedreaders。Hemade，too，someoriginalobservationsonanAmericanorchid，andthesefirst—fruitsofthesubject，sentinMS。orproofsheettomyfather，werewelcomedbyhiminaletter（July23rd）:——
"Lastnight，afterwritingtheabove，Ireadthegreatbundleofnotes。
LittledidIthinkwhatIhadtoread。Whatadmirableobservations！Youhavedistancedmeonmyownhobby—horse！Ihavenothadforweekssuchaglowofpleasureasyourobservationsgaveme。"
Thenextletterreferstothepublicationofthereview:]
CHARLESDARWINTOASAGRAY。
Down，July28[1862]。
MydearGray，Ihardlyknowwhattothankforfirst。Yourstampsgaveinfinitesatisfaction。Itookhim（Oneofhisboyswhowasill。）firstonelot，andthenanhourafterwardsanotherlot。Heactuallyraisedhimselfononeelbowtolookatthem。Itwasthefirstanimationheshowed。Hesaidonly:"YoumustthankProfessorGrayawfully。"Intheeveningafteralongsilence，therecameouttheoracularsentence:"Heisawfullykind。"
Andindeedyouare，overworkedasyouare，totakesomuchtroubleforourpoordearlittleman。——AndnowImustbeginthe"awfullys"onmyownaccount:whatacapitalnoticeyouhavepublishedontheorchids！Itcouldnothavebeenbetter;butIfearthatyouoverrateit。IamverysurethatIhadnottheleastideathatyouoranyonewouldapproveofitsomuch。Ireturnyourlastnoteforthechanceofyourpublishinganynoticeonthesubject;butafterallperhapsyoumaynotthinkitworthwhile;yetinmyjudgmentSEVERALofyourfacts，especiallyPlatantherahyperborea，areMUCHtoogoodtobemergedinareview。ButIhavealwaysnoticedthatyouareprodigalinoriginalityinyourreviews……
[SirJosephHookerreviewedthebookinthe"Gardeners’Chronicle"，writinginasuccessfulimitationofthestyleofLindley，theEditor。MyfatherwrotetoSirJoseph（November12，1862）:——
"Soyoudidwritethereviewinthe"Gardeners’Chronicle"。OnceortwiceIdoubtedwhetheritwasLindley;butwhenIcametoalittleslapatR。
Brown，Idoubtednolonger。Youarch—rogue！Idonotwonderyouhavedeceivedothersalso。PerhapsIamaconceiteddog;butifso，youhavemuchtoanswerfor;Ineverreceivedsomuchpraise，andcomingfromyouI
valueitmuchmorethanfromanyother。"
Withregardtobotanicalopiniongenerally，hewrotetoDr。Gray，"Iamfairlyastonishedatthesuccessofmybookwithbotanists。"Amongnaturalistswhowerenotbotanists，Lyellwaspre—eminentinhisappreciationofthebook。Ihavenomeansofknowingwhenhereadit，butinlaterlife，asIlearnfromProfessorJudd，hewasenthusiasticinpraiseofthe’FertilisationofOrchids，’whichheconsidered"nexttothe’Origin，’asthemostvaluableofallDarwin’sworks。"Amongthegeneralpublictheauthordidnotatfirsthearofmanydisciples，thushewrotetohiscousinFoxinSeptember1862:"Hardlyanyonenotabotanist，exceptyourself，asfarasIknow，hascaredforit。"
Afavourablenoticeappearedinthe"SaturdayReview"，October18th，1862;
thereviewerpointsoutthatthebookwouldescapetheangrypolemicsarousedbythe’Origin。’（Dr。GraypointedoutthatiftheOrchid—book（withafewtriflingomissions）hadappearedbeforethe’Origin，’theauthorwouldhavebeencanonisedratherthananathematisedbythenaturaltheologians。）Thisisillustratedbyareviewinthe"LiteraryChurchman"，inwhichonlyonefaultfound，namely，thatMr。Darwin’sexpressionofadmirationatthecontrivancesinorchidsistooindirectawayofsaying，"OLord，howmanifoldareThyworks！"
Asomewhatsimilarcriticismoccursinthe’EdinburghReview’（October1862）。ThewriterpointsoutthatMr。Darwinconstantlyusesphrases，suchas"beautifulcontrivance，""thelabellumis……INORDERTOattract，""thenectarisPURPOSELYlodged。"TheReviewerconcludeshisdiscussionthus:
"Weknow，toothatthesepurposesandideasarenotourown，buttheideasandpurposesofAnother。"
The’Edinburgh’reviewer’streatmentofthissubjectwascriticisedinthe"SaturdayReview"，November15th，1862:WithreferencetothisarticlemyfatherwrotetoSirJosephHooker（December29th，1862）:——
"Hereisanoddchance;mynephewHenryParker，anOxfordClassic，andFellowofOriel，cameherethisevening;andIaskedhimwhetherheknewwhohadwrittenthelittlearticleinthe"Saturday"，smashingthe[Edinburghreviewer]，whichweliked;andafteralittlehesitationheownedhehad。Ineverknewthathewroteinthe"Saturday";andwasitnotanoddchance？"
The’Edinburgh’articlewaswrittenbytheDukeofArgyll，andhassincebeenmadeuseofinhis’ReignofLaw，’1867。Mr。Wallacereplied（’QuarterlyJournalofScience，’October1867。Republishedin’NaturalSelection，’1871。）totheDuke’scriticisms，makingsomespeciallygoodremarksonthosewhichrefertoorchids。Heshowshow，bya"beautifulself—actingadjustment，"thenectaryoftheorchidAngraecum（from10to14
inchesinlength），andtheproboscisofamothsufficientlylongtoreachthenectar，mightbedevelopedbynaturalselection。Hegoesontopointoutthatonanyothertheorywemustsupposethattheflowerwascreatedwithanenormouslylongnectary，andthatthenbyaspecialact，aninsectwascreatedfittedtovisittheflower，whichwouldotherwiseremainsterile。Withregardtothispointmyfatherwrote（October12or13，1867）:——
"IforgottoremarkhowcapitallyyouturnthetablesontheDuke，whenyoumakehimcreatetheAngraecumandMothbyspecialcreation。"
Ifweexaminetheliteraturerelatingtothefertilisationofflowers，wedonotfindthatthisnewbranchofstudyshowedanygreatactivityimmediatelyafterthepublicationoftheOrchid—book。ThereareafewpapersbyAsaGray，in1862and1863，byHildebrandin1864，andbyMoggridgein1865，butthegreatmassofworkbyAxell，Delpino，Hildebrand，andtheMullers，didnotbegintoappearuntilabout1867。Theperiodduringwhichthenewviewswerebeingassimilated，andbeforetheybecamethoroughlyfruitful，was，however，surprisinglyshort。Thelateractivityinthisdepartmentmayberoughlygaugedbythefactthatthevaluable’Bibliography，’givenbyProf。D’ArcyThompsoninhistranslationofMuller’s’Befruchtung’（1883），containsreferencesto814papers。
BesidesthebookonOrchids，myfatherwrotetwoorthreepapersonthesubject，whichwillbefoundmentionedintheAppendix。Theearliestofthese，onthethreesexualformsofCatasetum，waspublishedin1862;itisananticipationofpartoftheOrchid—book，andwasmerelypublishedintheLinneanSociety’sJournal，inacknowledgmentoftheusemadeofaspecimenintheSociety’spossession。Thepossibilityofapparentlydistinctspeciesbeingmerelysexualformsofasinglespecies，suggestedacharacteristicexperiment，whichisalludedtointhefollowinglettertooneofhisearliestdisciplesinthestudyofthefertilisationofflowers:]
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。TRAHERNEMOGGRIDGE。（ThelateMr。Moggridge，authorof’HarvestingAntsandTrap—doorSpiders，’’FloraofMentone，’etc。）
Down，October13[1865]。
MydearSir，Iamespeciallyobligedtoyouforyourbeautifulplatesandletter—press;
fornosinglepointinnaturalhistoryinterestsandperplexesmesomuchastheself—fertilisation（HeonceremarkedtoDr。NormanMoorethatoneofthethingsthatmadehimwishtoliveafewthousandyears，washisdesiretoseetheextinctionoftheBee—orchis，——anendtowhichhebelieveditsself—fertilisinghabitwasleading。）oftheBee—orchis。Youhavealreadythrownsomelightonthesubject，andyourpresentobservationspromisetothrowmore。
Iformedtwoconjectures:first，thatsomeinsectduringcertainseasonsmightcrosstheplants，butIhavealmostgivenupthis;nevertheless，prayhavealookattheflowersnextseason。Secondly，IconjecturedthattheSpiderandBee—orchismightbeacrossingandself—fertileformofthesamespecies。AccordinglyIwrotesomeyearsagotoanacquaintance，askinghimtomarksomeSpider—orchids，andobservewhethertheyretainedthesamecharacter;butheevidentlythoughttherequestasfoolishasifIhadaskedhimtomarkoneofhiscowswitharibbon，toseeifitwouldturnnextspringintoahorse。Nowwillyoubesokindastotieastringroundthestemofahalf—a—dozenSpider—orchids，andwhenyouleaveMentonedigthemup，andIwouldtryandcultivatethemandseeiftheykeptconstant;
butIshouldrequiretoknowinwhatsortofsoilandsituationstheygrow。
Itwouldbeindispensabletomarktheplantsothattherecouldbenomistakeabouttheindividual。Itisalsojustpossiblethatthesameplantwouldthrowup，atdifferentseasonsdifferentflower—scapes，andthemarkedplantswouldserveasevidence。
Withmanythanks，mydearsir，Yourssincerely，CH。DARWIN。
P。S。——Isendbythispostmypaperonclimbingplants，partsofwhichyoumightliketoread。
[SirThomasFarrerandDr。W。Oglewerealsoguidedandencouragedbymyfatherintheirobservations。ThefollowingreferstoapaperbySirThomasFarrer，inthe’AnnalsandMagazineofNaturalHistory，’1868，onthefertilisationoftheScarletRunner:]
CHARLESDARWINTOT。H。FARRER。
Down，September15，1868。
MydearMr。Farrer，IgrievetosaythattheMAINfeaturesofyourcaseareknown。Iamthesinneranddescribedthemsometenyearsago。ButIoverlookedmanydetails，astheappendagetothesinglestamen，andseveralotherpoints。
Isendmynotes，butImustbegfortheirreturn，asIhaveNOOTHERCOPY。
Iquiteagree，thefactsaremoststriking，especiallyasyouputthem。
AreyousurethattheHive—beeisthecutter？itisagainstmyexperience。
Ifsure，makethepointmoreprominent，orifnotsure，eraseit。IdonotthinkthesubjectisquitenewenoughfortheLinneanSociety;butIdaresaythe’AnnalsandMagazineofNaturalHistory，’or"Gardeners’Chronicle"