40I 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



THE LATE DR. W. H. DALLINGER, F.R.?. 



We regret to record the death of Dr. Dalhnger, which took 

 place at Lee, Kent, on November 8th, at the age of 67. Dr. 

 Dalhnger was well-know^n as a biologist and microscopist ; but 

 perhaps appealed to the widest circle as a popular lecturer. 

 He was born at Devonport in 1841, and entered the Wesleyan 

 ministry in 1861. His first scientific researches dealt with the 

 life history of putrefactive organisms. In connection with this 

 work he received a grant of £100 from the Royal Society ; and 

 was elected F.R.S. in 1880. Three years later he was elected 

 President of the Royal Microscopical Society, and he also occu- 

 pied the presidential chair of the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union. 

 His work with the microscope continued to occupy much of 

 his time until his death. In 1891 he brought out a revised 

 edition of Carpenter's Text Book on the Microscope. On the 

 occasion of the British Association meeting at Montreal, he 

 was elected LL.D. of the Victoria University at that place ; 

 and the degree of D.Sc. was conferred upon him by Trinity 

 College, Dublin, in iSgi. 



A CLIMBING SNAPDRAGON. 



In the October number of the ' New Phytologist ' (pp. 284- 

 298), an interesting sport of the Common Snapdragon [Antir- 

 rhiniim iiiajiis) is described by Dr. T. W. Woodhead and Miss 

 M. M. Brierley. This form appeared in the garden of Mr. 

 H. G. Brierley, at Brimscar, Huddersfield, in the summer of 

 iqo8. During this windy season some thirty individuals of 

 the white variety showed a strong tendency to climb ; many of 

 their lateral branches were transformed into tendrils, which 

 developed right and left-banded spirals in various positions on 

 the branches, while others twined in a manner similar to that 

 of the Convoh'ulus. A second season's plants grown from 

 cuttings, as well as a second generation grown from seed, 

 showed this tendency to persist, some of this year's specimens 

 ha\'ing as man}' as sixty-six branches on one plant, showing 

 the climbing habit. Many of the branches developed coils in 

 such positions as to be quite useless for clinging to a support,^ 

 but others completely encircled neighbouring branches, and 

 thus i^ssessed all the advantages of a typical climber. The 

 microscopic structure of the climbing branches was examined. 



1909 Dec. I. C 2 



