NOTES ON SOME CURIOSITIES OF ORCHID BREEDING. 443 



Professor Macfarlane found that the margin and inner 

 surface of the upper sepal of C. x Leeanum were both covered 

 with simple and glandular hairs side by side, while the parent 

 C. Spicerianum had glandular hairs only, and the parent 

 C. insigne simple hairs only ; further, the hybrid had the ruby 

 hairs of C. Spicerianum along the midrib, though less in number, 

 and the glabrous spots of C. insigne, but reduced in size and 

 number. (Id. p. 247.) 



Again, the staminode of C. x Leeanum in colour and rough- 

 ness of surface outwardly resembles that of C. insigne, there 

 being no trace apparently of the purple and white smooth 

 staminode of C. Spicerianum (except the slightly modified shape), 

 but a section clearly showed a structure intermediate between 

 both parents, and a reduction by one half in the size of the 

 protuberances and in the number of hairs. (Id. p. 248.) 



Further, though the leaves and the general habit of the 

 hybrid seem to incline towards the parent, C. insigne, yet Pro- 

 fessor Macfarlane observed that their inner structure was fairly 

 intermediate between both parents ; curiously enough, in the 

 average number of stomata and epidermal cells the upper surface 

 of the leaf inclined considerably towards C. insigne, while 

 the under surface slightly leaned towards C. Spicerianum. 

 (Id. p. 245.) 



Other hybrids have been examined minutely by Professor 

 Macfarlane, and all have more or less given the same results, 

 which thus show that the inner tissues, as well as the outer 

 characters, if carefully observed, are found to be fairly blended 

 between the two parent species. 



A plate prepared by Professor Macfarlane shows this very 

 clearly. The beautiful colour of the hybrid Masdevallia x 

 Chelsoni and its two parents, M. Veitchiana and M. amabilis, is 

 due in a large measure to the crimson hairs which are distri- 

 buted thickly over the surface of the sepals. When magnified, 

 the hairs of M. Veitchiana are seen to be globular in shape, 

 while those of M. amabilis are cone-shaped ; on the other hand, 

 the hairs of the hybrid are club-shaped, being intermediate 

 between the two and distinct from both. (Id. p. 242, Plate VII., 

 figs. 3, 4, and 5.) 



True hybrids between two distinct species are not found to 

 differ from one another more than individuals of a species are 



K 2 



