NOTICES OF BOOES. 157 



two or three presented any abnormal appearance, but it was impossible 

 to tell whether the seeds were hybrids or not. When planted, a 

 great many never vegetated, but of those that did the oat seeds grew 

 up oats and the wheat seeds wheat, with the exception of twelve 

 plants ; the stems of six ot them were submitted to the society. These 

 were from wheat ovules and rye pollen, and the whole aspect of the 

 ear was intermediate between rye and wheat. All the florets opened 

 as if intending fertilisation, which, however, did not take place, and 

 on some ears they did not close again ; but the most important fact 

 was that the anthers did not open, or discharge any pollen, and the 

 pollen was imperfectly developed. It would be going further than 

 occasion warranted to affirm that these plants wore hybrids beyond 

 all doubt, but, as the experimenter had considerable reason for believ- 

 ing them actual hybrids, he submitted his observations for what they 

 were worth. Dr. Buchan White presented s])ecimens of Kob res mcanci?ia, 

 which he had collected in 1874, on a mountain called Ben Laoigh, 

 in Perthshire. Mr. Sadler exhibited specimens of the same plant 

 which he collected on Ben Lawers, in August, 1861, and on Creag 

 Laoigh, or Calf's Rock, in August, 1869. 



J^oticci^ of 25oohi^- 



On British Wild Flowers considered in relation to Insects. By Sir 

 John Lubbock, F.R.S., &c. London: Macmillan, 1875. ("Nature" 

 Scries.) 



Anyoxk who has glanced through the pages of any popular work 

 UDon British plants, must have observed how completely the more 

 recent discoveries connected with them are ignored. With the single 

 exception of Mrs. Kitchener's lately-published '* Year's Botany," the 

 phenomena connected with fertilisation, for example, are altogether 

 passed over, although they present many features of general interest. 

 In the little book under notice. Sir John Lubbock has passed in re- 

 view the different orders of British plants, and has given a summary 

 of what is known regarding the fertilisation of each, so far as insect 

 agency is concerned. The result is sufficiently interesting, and may 

 be useful in directing the attention of British botanists to phenomena 

 with which they are not generally acquainted, and which offer ample 

 scope for observation. We note that " proterogynous " and '^ pro- 

 terandrous," are substituted for the terms " protogynous " and " pro- 

 tandrous.'* The volume is a handy and useful summary of the 

 obfiervations of Hildebrand, Miiller, Darwin, Sprengel (who in 

 1793 " was the first to show how much plants are dependent on the 

 visits of insects "), and others, so far as they relate to British wild 

 flowers. J. B. 



