202 The Ottawa Naturalist. [February 



BOTANICAL BRANCH. 



The second meeting of the Botanical Branch was held at the 

 residence of Mr. J. M. Macoun, Thursday evening, Nov. i8th, 

 when the following members were present : Messrs. Fletcher, 

 Attwood, John Macoun, Blackadar, Edward Cameron, Roy Cam- 

 eron, R. B. Whyte, W. T. Macoun, T. E. Clarke, Carter, St. 

 Jacques, Clarke, Ami and J. M. Macoun. 



The discussion on "Individuality in Plants " was resumed 

 and a letter was read from Prof. D. F. MacDougal, of the New 

 York Botanical Garden, in which he stated that certain points con- 

 nected with mutants and hybrids seem to be well established. 

 These are : 



" I. No systematist who has seriously examined the mutants 

 of Lamarck's evening primrose, in the adult stage, has decided 

 them to be otherwise than species and varieties in accordance 

 with the estimate placed upon them by de Vries. 



" 2. Lamarck's evening primrose does not vary widely, not 

 so widely as some of the mutants, as has been found by statistical 

 methods. The mutants do not intergrade with each other or with 

 the parental form as shown by series of measurements. 



*' 3. The common evening primrose does not vary as widely 

 as it is reputed to do, as has been found by cultural studies : doubt- 

 less closely related species have been confused with it, which has 

 led to much misapprehension in the matter. 



"4. Mutants have been seen to arise from Lamarck's evening 

 primrose in my own cultures under circumstances that admitted of 

 but one interpretation, and historical investigations show that this 

 species is eligible as research material in every way. 



" 5. The entire obliteration of the evening primroses and all 

 records concerning them would still leave ample evidence that new 

 qualities arise suddenly or by mutation and that new species owe 

 their origin to changes of this kind. It can not be proven of 

 course that all species arise in this manner, and very probably they 

 do not, as for instance, the species that have been formed by 

 natural hybridizations." 



In Prof. MacDougal's paper on "The Origin of Species by 

 Mutation," he cites Chelidoniuyn laciniatum as an example of a 



