^NOVEMBER 25, 1921] 



SCIENCE 



517 



ample ever found since Cuming collected his 

 shell on the coast of Ecuador. Mr. Olsson's 

 specimen is younger and smaller than the 

 type, but is undoubtedly a valve of this very 

 striking and rare species. 



An examination of this shell proves that 

 Area lithodomus is not an Area (Barhatia) 

 Candida of abnormal type, for it is clearly an 

 undistorted specimen. Moreover, it is not a 

 member of the subgenus Barhatia. Dr. 

 Pearl Sheldon, the Area exxwrt, pronounces 

 it a true Ark. Therefore, the rediscovery by 

 Mr. Olsson, in Panama, of Cuming's Ecua- 

 dorean shell proves (1) that Area lithodomus 

 Sowerby is a valid species; (2) that the shell 

 belongs to Area, sensu stricto; (3) that the 

 section Litharea Gray is unnecessary; (4) 

 the range of the species is extended from 

 about Lat. 1° South to approximately Lat. 7° 

 30' I^orth. 



Carlotta J. Maury 



Cornell University 



authors for entertaining the heterodox idea 

 that a hybrid can occur beyond the geogra- 

 phic range of one of its parent species. In 

 this attitude my colleague is obviously not in 

 harmony with Kerner. It may be empha- 

 sized that Kerner's views possess a peculiar 

 authority, not only because he devoted him- 

 self especially to the study of hybrids in na- 

 ture, but also because he was fortunate enough 

 to live in a region where the Pontic, Mediter- 

 ranean, and Baltic floras overlap. 



I am loath to attribute to my colleague 

 the intentionally ambiguous language of an 

 oracle, or the " weasel words " of the aspiring 

 politician. His statements, however, appear 

 to keep the word of promise to the ear, while 

 breaking it to the hope, as in that Shake- 

 spearian tragedy where a forest undergoes 

 an interesting geographic migration, not due 

 to the mineral characteristics of the sub- 

 stratum. 



E. 0. Jeffrey 



THE GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF 

 HYBRIDS 



In a former number of this journal. Pro- 

 fessor Fernald has done me the honor of 

 stating that he is glad to have my confirma- 

 tion of his " thesis " in regard to the geo- 

 graphical distribution of hybrids between 

 natural species. As my statement was merely 

 a brief summary of the views of the eminent 

 Austrian systematic botanist, Kerner von 

 Marilaun, Professor Fernald does me unde- 

 served honor, and at the same time is un- 

 fortunately guilty of an anachronism. Ker- 

 ner's views on hybrids were known to the 

 world some time before Professor Fernald's 

 star arose on the horizon. 



I think I made it clear in my former state- 

 ment, that according to Kerner, natural hy- 

 brids may occur not only within the range 

 of the parent species, but also beyond the 

 range of one or both of them. The situation 

 indicated by the words in italics is clearly 

 not in accord with the tenor of Professor 

 Fernald's biting criticisms of the recent work 

 of Brainerd Peitersen on the blackberries of 

 New England. He repeatedly condemns these 



THE RAY SOCIETY 



All interested in natural history are fa- 

 miliar with the publications of the Ray So- 

 ciety. Since its establishment over three 

 quarters of a century ago this society has 

 published annually one or more volumes in 

 the biological sciences. Its object is to issue 

 works which from the expense of illustration 

 or other causes could not profitably be brought 

 out by an ordinary publisher. In this way 

 have appeared Agassiz's four volumes of 

 Bibliography, Darwin's " Cirripedia," All- 

 man's " Tubularian Hydroids " and " Fresh- 

 water Polyzoa," Alder and Hancock's " Nudi- 

 branches," West's " Desmids," Cash and 

 Wailes's " Ehizo]X)ds and Heliozoa," Groves 

 and Bullock- Webster's " Charophyta," and 

 Lucas's " Orthoptera." 



The annual subscription to the society is 

 at present one guinea, in return for which 

 the subscriber receives the annual volumes 

 and has the privilege of purchasing, at a re- 

 duction from the published price, one copy 

 each of any of the society's works already 

 issued and remaining in stock. Subscribers 

 for 1921 will receive for that year one of the 



