June 21, 1900] 



NATURE 



^77 



the former plant, and arranged in corymbs, but a trifle 

 larger. The fruits are not medlars. 



Branch No. 3.— The base is simply whitethorn, but the 

 extremity is practically like Branch No. 2. 



Similar cases are instanced by M. Jouin, who puts 

 down the now celebrated Cytisus adami as having arisen 

 in the way that the branches above described have done. 



Drosera Hybrids. — This paper, by Prof. Macfarlane, 

 has already appeared in the publications of the Uni- 

 versity of Pennsylvania ; it deals with the structure of 

 a batch of natural hybrids. It may be noted that several 

 instances of what the author has called bi-sexual hybridity 

 occur in the plants considered (p. 248) ; for instance, 

 instead of finding structures intermediate between the 

 elongated glandular hairs of Drosera filiforniis and the 

 sessile two-celled glands of D. in/er>iiedia, both appear 

 on the calyx of the hybrid between them. This fact 

 calls forth some interesting speculations of a cytological 

 nature, which the Professor hopes to see verified. .As 

 showing the growing opinion in favour of graft hybrids 

 being realities, it might be mentioned that Cytisus adami 

 is referred to as such in the paper. 



The ]nfluenie of each Parent. — From experiments with 

 cereals and Bromeliaceje, Dr. Wittpiack concludes that 

 " the mother has the more influence upon the habit ; the 

 father the more upon the inflorescence ; at least, upon its 

 colour." The contrary opinion of M. Duval is given, 

 who also holds that to reduce the volume of the plant the 

 larger must be fertilised by the small parent species. Ac- 

 cording to Mr. Tropp, the same holds good usually, but 

 not always, with orchids. 



Principles. — The laws given by Herr Max Leichtlin 

 may be quoted in full : — 



(i) The female parent gives to the offspring the form 

 and shape of the flowers ; also certain qualities. 



(2) The male parent gives more or less of the colouring 

 of the flowers, and if it be richer and blooms more freely 

 than the female, this property is transferred to the 

 offspring. , 



(S) Artificially produced offspring give larger flowers 

 than either of their parents. 



(4) The more distant the habitats of the species in- 

 tended to hybridise, the more difficult is it for them to \y- 

 fertilised with each other's pollen. 



(,5) The offspring becomes infertile and delicate if th( 

 form of the flowers of their parents is widely different in 

 shape and outline. 



Breeding Staple Food Plants. — In alluding to the cost 

 in labour and money of developing hybrids when the im- 

 mense number of plants that should be dealt with are 

 used. Prof. Willett Hays points to the importance (f 

 selecting carefully the parental individuals. The be- 

 flower, he says, too, should be chosen from the best pai 

 of the plant. 



An Iviproved Variety of Crocus Sativus. — It was not 

 till after many experiments with examples from many 

 places that the saffron could be got to produce seed, ex- 

 cept very meagrely (compare the remarks already made 

 on self-sterilising above). After a wild plant of Crocus 

 graecus was obtained from the island of Syra, as much 

 seed as was wanted was obtained. In the variety pro- 

 duced by M.Chappellier there is a proliferation of stigmas, 

 sometimes thirty, and even bracts and sheaths have been 

 converted into them. 



Experiments with Dioscorea. — In an attempt to obtain 

 .1 tuber which was short enough for one to dig up easily, a 

 plant was obtained by M. Chappellier bearing both male 

 and female flowers. This worker also contributes a note 

 on Mirabilts. 



Hybrid Lilacs. — M. E. Lemoine sends an account of 

 how he proved the Varin lilac to be a hybrid between 

 Syringa perstca laciniata and .S". vulgaris., a- piece of 

 work which M. Henry would also have succeeded in if 

 his plants had not died before flowering. 



NO. 1599, VOL. 62] 



Hybrid Clematis are dealt with by M. Morel and Mr, 

 Jackman. M. Duval treats of Anthurium scherzerianuviy 

 of Bromeliads and of Gloxinias. This hybridist points 

 out how important it is to know the pedigree of plants 

 experimented with, and says that the male parent should 

 be most carefully selected, as being the one whose 

 influence greatly preponderates. Mr. Meehan and Mr. 

 Smythe have written a few general notes. Mr. Weekes 

 has a little to say about Chrysanthemums, wh^le Mr. 

 James Lye, when discussing the cross-fertilisation of the 

 Fuchsia., states that he uses the tip of a squirrel's tail to 

 transfer the pollen, and prefers muslin bags to those 

 made of paper for enclosing the chosen blossoms. 



Mr. Wilks, the secretary of the Royal Horticultural 

 Society, must be complimented upon the successful 

 production of the report. Wilfred Mark Webb. 



OUR NORTHERN BIRDS.' 

 IV/r R. DIXON is a prolific writer, and confines himself 

 -'■''-»- almost entirely to one subject. Nevertheless he 

 always succeeds in interesting his readers, and contrives 

 to say something fresh even upon such a trite and thread- 



-Rough-lcg.;," 



Buzzard (From Dixon's "Among the Birds 

 Northern Shires.") 



bare theme as British birds. In a former volume Mr. 

 Dixon took as his subject " Bird-life in a Southern 

 County " ; and in the present work he dwells on the great 

 difference between the bird-fauna of the more northern 

 counties of England and Scotland from that of the south 



1 " Among the Birds in Northern Shires." By Charles Dixon. 

 Pp. X -(- 303. (London and Glasgow: Blackis and Son, 1900.) 



