1911] The Ottawa Naturalist. 33 



specimens, labelled C. hyperborea Lge. of the Geological Survey 

 herbarium agrees with the Greenlandian plant. Most probably 

 they belong to quite different species, no one of them being iden- 

 tical with C. hyperborea Lge. Similar things have been found 

 regarding other Calamagrostis species. 



The method followed when clearing out a species-skein was 

 demonstrated in Deschampsia ccespitosa (L.) Beauv. This 

 species is distributed all over Canada, presenting peculiar varieties 

 especially in the Artie region, and on the west coast. By a 

 comparative examination of the flowers of the continental 

 D. ccespitosa specimens and those of Vancouver Island, the inter 

 esting observation was clearly made, that the latter ones differed 

 in many essential points. There will be no doubt, that the Van- 

 couver form will turn out to be a very good and distinct species. 

 This new species, however, seemed at first to be very variable, 

 showing varieties, which to a certain extent seemed to pass over 

 to D. elongata Munro. These varieties have been called D. 

 ccespitosa var. Ion gi flora. The examination of the pollen of these 

 doubtful specimens settled the whole matter. Their pollen 

 is typical hybrid-pollen, that is, the pollen-grains are of very 

 varying size and empty, no one of them being capable of 

 fertilization. The comparative study of the hybrid and those 

 Deschampsia species, occurring in Vancouver Island, has shown 

 that the specimens in question are hybrids between D. elongata 

 Munro and the above mentioned new species. The west-coast 

 form of so-called Deschampsia ccespitosa consequently consists 

 of one new species and the hybrid between this species and 

 D. elongata. 



Some specimens of Alopecurus were also demonstrated, and 

 it was suggested that the native western species, which are called 

 A . geniculatus and A . aristulatus, very likely may represent new 

 species, quite different from the European species of the same 

 name. 



March 11th, 1911, at the home of Prof. John Macoun. Mr. 

 L. H. Newman, who recently returned from Europe after nearly 

 a year's absence, dealt with the subject, "The Composition of an 

 old race of cereals and its variability", basing his remarks largely 

 upon the present attitude of the experts of the famous plant 

 breeding Institution at Svalof, Sweden, where he had been 

 studying. 



In his opening remarks reference was made to the composite 

 character of many old races. Many different forms were to be 

 found within these races which by some were regarded as acci- 

 dental mixtures, while others regarded them as the results of 



