520 NOTES AND EXHIBITS. 



Mr. A. A. Hamilton exhibited specimens from the National 

 Herbarium, Sydney, showing faseiation and spiral torsion. 

 Dipsacus sylvestris torsus De Vries, "Teasel," Botanic Gardens, 

 Amsterdam (Hugo De Vries, 1902) . In a series of experi- 

 ments with the teasel Professor De Vries succeeded in producing 

 from 30 % to 45 % of plants with contorted stems. Echium 

 Hort., var., Botanic Gardens, Sydney (J. L. Boorman, Novem- 

 ber, 1916) . Plants of several species of Echium grown from 

 seeds supplied by Dr. G. V. Perez of Teneriffe have developed 

 this abnormality. Mr. Boorman states that selfsown seeds 

 from the normal plants have reproduced abnormal examples for 

 several years. The occurrence of selfsown seeds of the "Snap- 

 dragon" producing fasciated plants four years in succession was 

 noted in these Proceedings, 1914, p. 647. Three factors are 

 recognised by investigators as the principal agents in the pro- 

 duction of plant abnormalities, viz., heredity, mutilation — me- 

 chanical or insectival — and superabundant nourishment. 

 Heredity in certain malformations has been demonstrated by 

 De Vries (Species and Varieties, Their Origin by Mutation, 

 Hugo De Vries, 1905) who refers to races poor or rich in the 

 production of an abnormality. Faseiation is noted as the re- 

 sult of insectival attack by Miss Knox (The Induction, Develop- 

 ment, and Heritability of Fasciations. Alice A. Knox, Car- 

 negie Institute of Washington, 1908) in the "Evening Prim- 

 rose," and other species of Oenothera. Reed produced faseiation 

 by mechanical injury (Some Points in the Morphology and 

 Physiology of Fasciated Seedlings. T. Reed, Ann. of Botany, 

 xxvi., p. 389). He obtained this result by cutting out the 

 apical bud of the plumule of seedling Peas and Beans. The 

 effects of a rich diet on the production of faseiation in the 

 "Cocks-comb," Celosia cristata, was demonstrated a century ago 

 by Knight (On the Cultivation of the Cockscomb. T. A. 

 Knight, Trans. Horti. Soc. Lond., iv., 1820, p. 321) who 

 used the most nutritive and stimulating compost available to 

 secure breadth of "comb." It is conceded by most authorities 

 that a considerable quantity of elaborated sap must be present 

 in the plant to supply the demands of the increased growth. 



Dr . R . J . Tillyard gave a short account of his visit to Jervis 

 Bay in search of the larvae and pupae of the Moth-Lacewings or 

 Ithonidae, and exhibited the following interesting specimens col- 

 lected there: (1). Two living larvae of Ithone fusea Newm.. 



