BOTANY. 6*85 



fers, and Prohaska states that in Daphne the nuclei of the embryo-sack 

 neither unite with one another nor subsequently divide to form the 

 nuclei of the endosperm. Celakovsky, in Pringsheim's Jahrbneeher, 

 1ms a paper on Homologien der generativen Produkte der Fruchtblatter in 

 Phsenogams and higher Cryptogams. 



To settle the question whether Drosera was really nourished by the 

 insects caught and dissolved by the leaves, Btisgen started with seedling 

 plants and kept them under pontrol, feeding some with insects while 

 others were kept free from insects. Llis results, given in Bot. Zeitung, 

 confirm the accuracy of Darwin's views, for the Proserce fed on insects 

 were better developed than those which were not. Marcus A.Jones 

 finds that insects are caught by Mentzelia Icevicaulis. The hairs on the 

 leaves are furnished with barbs, so that insects which insert their heads 

 between the barbs cannot withdraw them. There was no evidence, 

 however, that the insects were digested by the plants. In the American 

 Naturalist J. F. James, in an article entitled Pitcher Plants, describes the 

 contrivances of Sarraceuiw for catching insects. 



Of the numerous papers treating of the mode of fertilization of differ- 

 ent flowers we can refer only to a few of the more important. Kosinos 

 has several papers by Fritz and Hermann Mueller. In Pie Blumen des 

 Melonenba times Fr. Mueller remarks that Garica papaya, the pawpaw, is 

 an exception to Sprengel's rule, that, in entomophilous plants with im- 

 perfect flowers the males are more conspicious than the female, and Her- 

 mann Mueller follows with remarks on fertilization of monoecious spe- 

 cies. The last-named botanist has two other papers in Kosmos : one ou 

 the significance of the change in color of Pulmonaria officinalis ; the 

 other, Arbeitstheilung bei Staubgefcessen, in which he discusses the defer- 

 ent functions of the stamens with loug filaments and pale pollen and 

 those with short filaments and showy pollen both in the same flower, as 

 in the crape myrtle, Lagerstrcemia. The showy pollen is to attract in- 

 sects and serves them as food, while the pale pollen is for fertilization of 

 the flowers. Facts on this subject have also been given by Fr. Mueller 

 in Nature. In some biological observations on flowers from South Brazil, 

 in Berieht. Peutsch. Bot. GeselL, Fr. Mueller describes the peculiar fertil- 

 ization of two species of Cypella. 



The pollination of Aracece has been studied by Areaugeli, who gives 

 a number of interesting details in Nouv. Giorn. Bot. The peculiarities 

 of the anther of Rosccea purpurea are described by Lynch in Jour. 

 Linn. Soc, in which are also papers by A. YV. Bennett on the constancy 

 of insects in their visits to flowers, butterflies being very irregular and 

 bees very constant, and by Christy on the habits of insects when visit- 

 ing flowers, in which he shows that insects prefer a number of succes- 

 sive visits to the same species of flowers. Meehan announces the dis- 

 covery of sensitive stamens in Echinocactus Whipplei, and he gives in 

 Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia some remarks on the fertilization of 

 Cactaceie. Meehan reports in Torrey Bulletin that he has found cleistq- 



