52 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXII. No. 550, 



whether they are, or are not, the same, I let 

 Mr. Post have some specimens of bitter-rot 

 and of the ripe-rot of the grape collected at 

 least two hundred miles from where the sweet- 

 peas grew. Seedling . sweet-peas, inoculated 

 with spores from these two sources, were killed 

 at the point of infection in the same way that 

 the original sweet-pea stems were killed, and 

 other seedlings which were inoculated with 

 pure cultures of the fungus causing the an- 

 thracnose of the sweet-pea. 



It would seem, then, from the results ob- 

 tained, as if the bitter-rot of the apple, the 

 ripe-rot of the grape and the anthracnose of 

 the sweet-pea are caused by the same fungus. 

 A stage corresponding to the ascigerous stage 

 of the bitter-rot has not been obtained yet in 

 artificial cultures. 



John L. Sheldon. 



West Virginia Ageicultural Experiment 

 Station, Morgantown, W. Va., 

 June 19, 1905. 



INDICATIONS OF AN ENTOMOPHILOUS HABIT IN 

 tertiary species OP QUERCUS. 



The occasional development of several em- 

 bryos in the fruits of recent species of Quercus 

 is of interest as suggesting an entomophilous 

 habit in the flowers of the Tertiary species of 

 this genus. 



At present normally five of the six ovules 

 in the three-celled ovary atrophy, and the one 

 remaining forms later a perfect embryo which 

 fills the entire cavity of the nut. But it not 

 infrequently happens that two embryos de- 

 velop, each with cotyledons, plumule and 

 caulicle. Experiments made by the writer 

 show that both embryos will grow, and the 

 twin oaks were kept until they reached a foot 

 or more in height. Several cases were found 

 by the writer in which three perfect embryos 

 occurred in acorns of the chestnut oak, 

 Quercus prinus. All germinated nearly 

 equally well. Finally a single case was found 

 in which there were four perfect embryos. 

 This also was an acorn of the chestnut oak, 

 which develops several embryos more readily 

 than Q. alba, ruhra or tinctoria. 



Several notes have been previously published 

 on the development of two embryos in 



Quercus, but I have not found any record of 

 three or of four perfect embryos occurring in 

 this genus. 



The normal abortion of five ovules and re- 

 duction to one embryo seems to be an acquired 

 character, and in the development of several 

 embryos appears to be a reversion to an an- 

 cestral condition. 



Now, it is well known that the formation of 

 several or many embryos is characteristic of 

 entomophilous flowers, but very rare among 

 anemophilous. 



This suggests that the oaks of the Green- 

 land Tertiary flora were entomophilous, that 

 their flowers were more conspicuous, and that 

 their fruits normally developed several em- 

 bryos. With the oncoming of the ice sheet 

 the oaks moved very slowly southward be- 

 cause of the inadaptability of the fruit for 

 wide dispersal. Deserted by the insects seek- 

 ing the warmth farther south, the oaks may 

 then have adopted their present anemophilouS' 

 habit. 



Paleobotany so far can give no evidence 

 either for or against this theory, but later 

 studies of the Tertiary floras may strengthen 

 the indication now furnished by the develop- 

 ment of two, three and four embryos in cases- 

 of reversion in Quercus prinus. 



C. J. Maury. 



BATHYGNATHUS BOREALIS, LEIDY, AND THE PER- 

 MIAN OF PRINCE EDWARDS ISLAND. 



A FEW days ago I had occasion to examine 

 the figure of Batliygnathus published by Leidy 

 in his original description {Jour. Acad. Nat,. 

 Sc. Phila. (2), 11, pp. 327-330, pi. XXXIII.) 

 and became convinced that it was not a dino- 

 saur, as has been long supposed, but one of 

 the most specialized of the pelycosaurs, such 

 as occurs in the Texas region, probably a 

 Dimetrodon or Naosaurus. I communicated 

 with Dr. Lambe, of the Canadian Survey, in- 

 dicating my belief that this settled the ques- 

 tion of the possible occurrence of Triassic de- 

 posits in Prince Edwards Island. Almost all 

 of the geologists of the Canadian Survey who' 

 have worked on the island have considered 

 the rocks as Permo-carboniferous and have 



