EXPERIMENTS IN THE BREEDING OF CERIONS. 17 



All visits during subsequent years have shown that this little island 

 has become so completely swamped with grass that it has been impossi- 

 ble to determine whether Cerions have survived in large numbers or 

 whether they are multiplying. Occasionally a young tip has been 

 seen, and in 1916 we found one young locally grown specimen. It has 

 therefore been impossible to gain material representing the first and 

 second generations. Not until some time in the future, when drought 

 or some other condition will have overcome the rank grass, will it be 

 possible to determine the true status of this colony. 



The Colony on Newfound Harbor Key. 



On June 3, 1912, in a low grassy plain in the middle of Newfound 

 Harbor Key, 500 specimens of Cerion viaregis were planted. When 

 visited on April 28, 1913, the place had become densely matted with a 

 luxuriant growth of grass, Sporohclus virginicus, and was quite moist ; 

 apparently the low depression in the middle ha.d been flooded by some 

 storm. Fearing that a more serious inundation might kill the members 

 of this colony, a new place was selected for the 145 specimens recovered, 

 of which 14 were dead. The 131 living specimens were carried inland 

 to the sandy ridge, where they were placed between the coconut trees. 

 The tree near which the planting was made was marked by a double 

 cross cut in its trunk. 



On April 23, 1914, we again visited Newfound Harbor Key and 

 found that the place of the second planting was swamped with a dense 

 growth of a malvaceous plant, overgrown with a leguminous climber, 

 indicating that a very poor choice of location had been made for this 

 planting last year. 



In 1915 this colony was not examined. 



On May 22, 1916, the ground where the second planting was made 

 had been completely burned over; only a single specimen of the orig- 

 inally planted material and one locally grown individual were found; 

 but in the low flat where the first planting was made, we found 51 

 individuals which represent the first generation of the Florida-grown 

 specimens and 3 of the original planting. Among these were 4 shells 

 of hybrids between Cerion viaregis and the native Cerion incanum. 

 These were on bushes which carried both introduced and local forms. 



It should be stated that at our first planting on this key, in 1912, 

 no native Cerions appeared. 



In 1917 and 1918 this colony was not visited, but on January 19, 

 1919, when we revisited the place, the Cerion colony in the middle of 

 the plain was doing well. Numerous individuals were present every- 

 where, but most of the individuals were hybrids between Cerion 

 incanum (Binney) and Cerion viaregis. We gathered a goodly quantity 

 of these, which were taken to Washington and placed in a conservatory 

 for continued close observation and possible selective breeding. The 



