116 THE ORCHID REVIEW. [APRIL, 1903 
M. Fl. Claes, Brussels, showed a dark and a light form of 
Odontoglossum xX Adriane, and two good O. X loochristiense. 
Mr. J. Douglas, Edenside, Great Bookham, showed Dendrobium 
Florence (nobile album X Bensonz), a pretty white form with a dark 
purple disc to the lip. 
Messrs. A. J. Keeling & Sons, Bradford, showed some good hybrid 
Cypripediums and others. 
Messrs. De Graaf Bros., Leiden, showed cut spikes of the remarkable 
South African Bonatea speciosa. 
AT the meeting of the Scientific Committee held on the same date the 
following references to Orchids were made :— 
CALANTHES AND MENDEL’s Law.—Mr. Chapman forwarded the follow- 
ing reply to Captain Hurst’s observations reported at the last meeting : ‘“‘ I 
am not at all surprised to find Captain Hurst claiming the fact of C. X 
Oakwood Ruby and C. X Sibyl having been derived from the same seed- 
pod, as bearing directly on the action of Mendel’s law. Had the rose or 
rose-carmine characteristics been maintained, Captain Hurst might have 
been sure of my support of the principles of which he is such an able 
advocate. Let us see what has reallytaken place. The first cross, from C. 
vestita and C. (Limatodes) rosea, produced C. X Veitchii ; the second cross 
was between C. X Veitchii and C. vestita rubro-oculata (giving a second 
cross with C. vestita), and produced C. X Cooksoni, with a yellow eye or 
disc, also C X Alexandri. Here the first change takes place. The deep 
ruby eye, as seen in C. vestita rubro-oculata, is removed to the front lobe 
of the lip and each of the petals, the sepals only being white, in some 
cases slightly tinted with the colour of the petals. It is remarkable to 
note that the rose or rose-carmine colours have disappeared. I cannot 
get at the exact parent that was used in the next generation, but from 
the information I can gather, the darkest varieties were selected and 
crossed with each other, until the remarkable variation between C. X 
Sibyl and C. X Oakwood Ruby was produced. In the latter case the 
flower of C. vestita rubro-oculata had been turned inside out. I cannot 
trace any of the rose or rose-carmine of C. X Veitchii in the flower, nor 
yet the shape of the Limatodes, as seen in C. X Veitchii, but in the 
bulb the shape and general structure resembles C. (Limatodes) rosea. I 
cannot see what advantage can be procured by crossing C. x Oakwood 
Ruby with itself. I cannot expect to gain more from this than I procured 
nearly six years ago when crossing C. x Veitchii with its own pollen, and 
the result was that it reproduced itself from seed. I might add to this 
another instance, in which I procured a primary hybrid from seed. 
Nearly ten years ago I self-fertilised C. x Leeanum (a very fine form 
