1879.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 131 



April 1. 

 The President, Dr. Rtjschenberger, in the chair. 

 Forty-two persons present. 

 The death of Geo. B. Wood, M.D., a member, was announced. 



On Hybrid Fuchsias. Mr. Thomas Meehan exhibited a seed- 

 ling fuchsia which had been obtained from F. syringsejlora, that 

 had been pollenised by a garden hybrid named "Inimitable." 

 Mr. M. detailed the precautions taken to avoid the use by the 

 flower of its own pollen. This one exhibited was the only one 

 that had foliage and habit exactly like its female parent, and the 

 flowers were also alike in every particular. The five remaining 

 had not yet flowered, but were more or less unlike the female pa- 

 rent, and unlike each other in appearance. The foliage of one 

 yet to flower was very much like the male parent; and one plant 

 which had been destroyed by an accident last summer was exactly 

 like the male parent. 



The chief point of interest was that the pollen from one single 

 flower, operating in one single pistil, and resulting in one single 

 berry, should produce such a dissimilar progeny. 



Note on the Adoption of an Ant-Queen. Mr. McCook reported 

 the following case of the adoption of a fertile queen of Cremato- 

 gaster lineolata, a small black ant, by a colony of the same spe- 

 cies. The queen was taken in Fairmount Park April 16th, and 

 on May 14th following was introduced to workers of a nest taken 

 the same day. The queen was alone within an artificial glass 

 formicary, and several workers were introduced. One of these 

 soon found the queen, exhibited much excitement, but no hostil- 

 ity, and immediately ran to her sister workers, all of whom were 

 presently clustered upon the queen. As other workers were 

 gradually introduced they joined their comrades until the body 

 of the queen (who is much larger than the workers) was nearly 

 covered with them. They appeared to be holding on by their 

 mandibles to the delicate hairs upon the female's body, and con- 

 tinually moved their antennae caressingly. This sort of attention 

 continued until the queen, escorted by workers, disappeared in 

 one of the galleries. She was entirely adopted, and thereafter 

 was often seen moving freely, or attended by guards, about the 

 nest, at times engaged in attending the la'rvse and nymphs which 

 had been introduced with the workers of the strange colon}'. 

 The workers were fresh from their own natural home, and the 

 queen had been in an artificial home for a month. As among 

 ants the workers of different nests aie usually hostile to each 



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