1
hare lo thank the libemlity ami kindness of onr excellent friend, that dislin^niislied trfiveller and boJiiiiist.VoN M a r t i u s .
Short teetb of various sizes are found on the labelluin of most of the Mexican Cyrlochibnns; and in lliis, iis in many
other rcspects, Cyrlochiluni approaches Odontoglossuiu so closely, as lo bo most easily confoniided -»v-ith it ; indeed,
we were disposed to consider (be snbject ol'tbis article to be a species of the latter genus, until Dr. L i n d l e v convinced
us that it belonged lo the former, and, at the same time, pointed out the foilowiug iis the principal distinction between
the two genera, viz.—the labelliim in Cyrtocbilum is distinct from, while in Odonloglossuiu it is partially united to,
tlie base of the column.
Autumn is the flowering season of C. Bidoniense; and it has already blossomed twice under the care of Lord
R o l l e ' s gardener, Mr. G l e n d i n n i x g , who is known lo have but few rivals in his nianagenient of (be Tropical
Orcbidacea?. We have now (Nov. 1837) in blow u variety of this plant, wilh a pure white lip, imd pale green sepals
and petals, faintly blotched wilh a darker colour; in habit it exactly resembles the Bic(on specimens, but its flowers
are neither so large nor so beautiful Both ^-arietics are natives of the warmer parts of Guatemala, where thcv were
detected by Mr, S k i x x e r . By this gentleman tbcy were placed, with other treasures of a like dcscri])tion, in the
hands of Captain S u t t o n , R.N,, and to the care which be bestowed upon them during their passage to this conntn',
must be ascribed the beautiful condition in which they reached i(s shores, in Juno, I&Ì5. Agreeably to the wishes
nf their generous discoA'erer, Captain S u t t o n <listributed in various c|uarters the vegetable spoils which lie had so
successfully brought home, and tlie collections of Lord R o i l e , Sir C n A n t E S L e j i o n , and the .\ntlior, are severally
indebted to biai for many of the greatest rarities they contain. Although the important services rendered to science
by the ^ l a u l Captain are now well-known and appreciated by the public, we cannot omit the present opportunity of
expressing our own gratitude to liira, for Uie favours which we have, on so many occasions, received at his bands,—
favours which are not felt the less warmly, because bestowed upon a perfect stranger.
The Vignette will, it is hoped, serve to convey some idea of the tangled luxuriance and distual grandeur of the
forest sceaerj' of Tropical America. What rich and redundant vegetiition ! What au endless profusion of climbers
and I Winers, epiphytes and parasites, et id genvs omne! ! And, then, what a strange ^•ariety of animated beings I ! !
Hei-e we have a serpent coiled round one tree,—f f i e r e a nioukey scrambOng u)) another ; in a still more elevated
position, parroquets and the pendent purse-iike nests of the orioles, or corn-birds, may be discerned care must also
))e taken, lower down in the picture, not to overlook the cayman's "awful head." The happy pair in the
foreground, altliougb quite unacquainted witb " these troublesome disguises which we wear," betray, we fear, in other
respects, a less primitive taste, as they eridently are not confining themselves to a vegetable diet. That Epidendrum
on tbe trunk of the prostrate tree must be a fine thing, and %ve are only sorry to see the lady tnrn her back upon it.