72 THE: ORCHID. REVIEW. ‘[May-JUNE, 1920. 
care taken in the selection of parents is sure to be followed by a crop of 
good results. There are several experiments in progress which we shall 
watch with interest, in addition to those mentioned, the results of which we 
hope to be able to record in the future. 
GENERIC HyBRIDS THIRTY-THREE YEARS AGO.— When turning over the 
pages of an old volume the writer came across the following, which may be 
of interest, for the remarks are still as appropriate as when written.—G.S. 
BiGENERIC OrcHiD Hysrips AT THE LiNNEAN SocrETy.—The results 
of hybridisation in this Order have been so remarkable that it was not likely 
they would long escape attention from a scientific standpoint. A paper on 
the subject was read at the meeting of the Linnean Society on May 5th by 
Mr. R. A. Rolfe, A.L.S., of the Kew Herbarium. The author treated the 
subject chiefly with reference to its bearing upon classification, and with 
regard to hybrids generally came to the following conclusions: (1) Hybrid- 
isation may take place not only between distinct species, but also between 
distinct genera ; or between plants so structurally different as to be usually 
regarded as such. (2) These hybrids are generally of artificial origin, or 
accidentally produced, and cannot be treated in the scheme of classification 
either as natural varieties, species, or genera. (3) The possibility of hybrid- 
isation taking place between species hitherto considered distinct does not 
necessarily prove them to be merely forms of the same species. (4) The 
occurrence of a hybrid between two structurally different genera does not 
prove the necessity of uniting them in one; nor can such hybrids be 
arbitrarily referred to either of the two parent genera. (5) Species, and 
genera too, will always have to be dealt with in the scheme of classification 
according to their structural peculiarities and differences, without reference 
to the possibility of hybridisation taking place between them. After showing 
bigeneric hybrids to be always more or less intermediate between the two. 
parents, the author recommended that the plan advocated in these columns 
(1872, p. 358), of compounding a name from those of the two parent genera, 
should always be adopted. He then proceeded to deal with existing 
bigeneric Orchid hybrids on these lines, proposing Phaiocalanthe, Ancecto- 
goodyera, Lzliocattleya, Sophrocattleya, and Zygocolax. The paper was 
illustrated by a number of interesting specimens from the Nursery of Messrs. 
James Veitch & Sons, and from Kew.—G.C., 1887, i. p. 646. 
We had forgotten the note, and it is interesting to find the names given 
in their original form, without a hyphen and a second capital, the latter an 
innovation that is now discountenanced by the rules. Instead of Ancecto- 
goodyera, however, one must read Ancectomaria, Dossinimaria and Maco- 
maria, and the slip probably arose from the fact that the original records are 
under Ancectochilus and Goodyera.—Ep. 
