Proceedings of the Section of Biology 175 



Mr. -Charles L. Pollard was the next speaker. He took the 

 stand that we have no right to assume hybrids on the basis of 

 mere appearances and characteristics suggesting relationship, and 

 that the burden of proof rests with those who assume hybrids. 



Mr. William T. Davis exhibited specimens of- hybrid oaks and 

 reputed parent species and pointed out some interesting facts in 

 connection with them. Among the specimens were: Qnercus 

 heterophylla Michx., Q. marylandica X nana (Q. brittoni W. T. 

 Davis), Q. marylandica yi phellos (Q. rudkini Britton), Q. 

 digitata X phellos, Q. nana X phellos. These served as valuable 

 material illustrating the subject of plant hybrids. 



January 9, 1909 



The meeting was held in the museum. 



Mr. Alanson Skinner reported having seen some twenty or 

 thirty pickerel frogs, Rana palustris, in a spring at Woodrow, 

 Staten Island, earlier in the day. They were rather sluggish, but 

 were not covered up by leaves or any other material. He stated 

 that he had found numbers of green frogs, Rana clamitans, in 

 former years hibernating in deep holes in the upper part of 

 Palmer Run in the Clove Valley. Here pipes running from the 

 pumping station of the water works carried warm water which 

 was discharged near the pools and kept the water warm. Others 

 were found under the pipe and close to it. 



Mr. C. L. Pollard stated that the pine lizards, Sceloporus undu- 

 latus, which Mr. Skinner presented to the Association about 

 October 1, 1908, were still alive and active, though they had eaten 

 nothing while in captivity, and they showed no tendency to hiber- 

 nate, probably on account of the high temperature of the room. 



Mr. William T. Davis exhibited some tubers of a species of 

 Helianthus, from Oakwood, Staten Island. They were found 

 in numbers under a large log on the edge of the salt meadows. 

 He showed also two specimens of Orchelimum pulchellum from 

 Dennisville, Trenton, and Helmetta, New Jersey. This he had 

 recently described as a new species and stated that it is the most 



