358 TiLK JOUltiSAL OF iiUTAM' 



he tliouglit that its great richness in varieties would afford him 

 splendid material for research. Greath^ to his disappointment things 

 did not work out as he had hoped : in })lace of the classical division 

 into dominant and recessives the descendants all bred true. Mendel 

 did not know why; but we have now learnt that the cells from whicli 

 the ova develop (parthenogenetically, as we have indicated) are not 

 of the same nature as the normal ova of the ordinary plant, but should 

 rather be considered as buds which have earl^^ become detached from 

 the parent stock to lead an independent existence ; and that, like 

 buds, they exactly reproduce the maternal characteristics. It is one 

 more lesson in the need for caution in the interpretation of facts, for 

 of this state of affairs Mendel was ignorant and could scarcely have 

 formed any conception. B. C. A. W. 



BOOK-NOTES, NEWS, etc. 



The Kew Bulletm (no. 9) contains a note by Mr. W. B. Turrill on 

 tlie occurrence " in considerable quantity on cultivated crops in South 

 Wales " of Citscuta sunceolens Ser., with a reference to Dr. Hemsley's 

 paper in this Journal for 1908 (p. 241), where the history of the plant 

 in this country is given. In South Wales, *' Onions and carrots were 

 the plants chiefly alfected, but the parasite seems almost indifferent to 

 the nature of its hosts, for it had spread on to various weeds, including 

 Lotus coDiicaJatus. Avenaria serpyllifolla, Trifolium repcns, Pasli- 

 naca safiva, and several grasses." O. Tinei Insenga, mentioned by 

 Mr. Turrill, was also noticed by Dr. Hemsley (/. c. 244), who gives 

 useful figures of the flowers of the two species. 



ANatur.vl Hlstort Society for the Isle of Wight was inaugu- 

 rated at a well-attended meeting held at Newport on Nov. 15. The 

 chair was occupied by Mr. James Oroves, who delivered an address in 

 which it was pointed out that although much had been done in cata- 

 loguing the animals and plants of the island, their life-history pro- 

 vided an inexhaustible field of study. Mr. Gr. W. Colenutt, F.G.S., was 

 elected first president and Mr. F. Morey — author of the Guide to 

 the Natural History of the island, by whose exertions the meeting 

 had been convened — hon. secretar^^ 



The Rev. Coslett Herbert Waddell died very suddenly on 

 June 8th at Grey Abbey, Co. Down, of which place he was Rector. 

 He was born at Marahn in the same county on March 6, 1858, gradu- 

 ated M.A. and B.D. at Trinity College, Dublin, was ordained in IbiSO, 

 and became Rector of Saintfield, whence he proceeded to Grey Abbey. 

 He took a great interest in the work of the Belfast Naturalists' 

 Field Club, of which he was at one time President, and was a Member 

 of the Royal Irish Academy. His principal botanical work, in which he 

 was much associated with Canon Lett, was in Mosses : in 1896 he 

 published in this Journal (p. 88) a proposal for the establishment of 

 a Moss Kx(;hange Club which was duly taken up ; of this he became 

 Secretary, retaining that position until 1908, when he was succeeded 

 by Mr. W. Ingham who still holds the post. In 1897 he published 

 for the Club a CnfaJngiie of British Hepaticfe, which is noticed on 

 p. 4l;3 of this Journal for that year. Numerous notes were con- 



