44 General Notes. [January 
ding, and its erection afterwards so as to bring the now expanded stig- 
mas into the line of the axis of the blossom. Nor-does Lubbock allude 
to anything of the kind. This I shall elsewhere illustrate. The present 
object is to call attention to a point which I had not observed, but which 
is mentioned in a letter from a former pupil, Mr. W. M, Courtis ; namely; 
that only seven of the stamens shed their pollen before the stigmas 
expand, the eighth anther opening afterwards; or in some flowers two 
anthers are thus late ; “as if it might be nature’s plan to insure cross- 
fertilization if possible, but if not, self-fertilization would be possible.” 
This should be looked after next summer. — A. Gray. 
DIMORPHISM IN CLAXTONIA. — The number of hermaphrodite flowers 
in which either dichogamy or dimorphism is known to occur, already 
large, increases with attentive observation. Mr. E. L. Hankenson, of 
Newark, New York, finds two forms of Claytonia Virginica, and sends 
copious specimens ; one form has an elongated style and short filaments ; 
the other long filaments which equal or overtop the style, the latter, how- 
ever, not absolutely shorter than in the counterpart form. It would be 
interesting to know if this holds true generally. — A. Gray. 
CHEILANTHES ALABAMENSIS. — As ferns are now much sought, it is 
worth recording that Mr. Walter Faxon last summer discovered this 
southern species within the limits of Gray’s Manual, on Indian Creek 
at the boundary between Lee County, Virginia, and Claiborne County, 
Tennessee. — A. Gray 
Tae Hortrsock Puccrnta.— A note in the October NATURALIST, 
by Mr. Meehan, in which he states that Puccinia malvesarum has 
probably existed in this country for many years, leads me to say that 
ever since notices in foreign journals, regarding the sudden and wide- 
spread appearance of this fungus in Europe, have appeared, I have 
taken more notice than usual of all hollyhocks that I have met with (and 
the plants are abundant in this country, not only in cultivation but as 
garden weeds and scapes to roadsides), but have failed to find the Puc- 
cinia. On several occasions I have found at roadsides hollyhock plants 
whose leaves were densely covered with brownish spots, and having the 
same appearance as leaves infested with the Puccinia (of which I have 
many specimens from England and Germany) ; on examination, however, 
no fungus was found, but it appeared to me that the spots were of insect 
origin. If not the work of insects it may be possible that they were 
due to a species of Phyllorticta (P. destruens Derm. ?) whose perithecia 
would have appeared later in the season. — W. R. GERARD. 
he does not treat at all critically, the author describes experiments with 
löss, a diluvial earth found in the valley of the Rhine. When the rail- 
road station Monsheim (at Worms) was built, the earth was dug away 
