Botany and Zoology. 



285 



has ably but rather diffusely elaborated, we take the opportunity to re- 

 mark : — 



(1.) That the wild potato-plant in question is a true potato, but not of 

 the same species as the common potato, the Solanum tuberosum. Indeed 

 two tuberiferous species of Solanum occur in that region. One has a 

 white and 5-parted corolla, and oblong-lanceolate leaflets mostly acute at 

 the base, and is probably S. Jamesii of Torrey (which, if we are correct, 

 was wrongly thought to be annual) : the other, to which belong the spe- 

 cimens sent by Dr. Myer, has a blue, 5-lobed corolla, and ovate or round- 

 ish leaflets which are often a little heart-shaped at the base ; "and this if 

 really undescribed, will soon be published under the name of S. Fendleri. 

 Both are distinguished from S. tuberosum by having their leaflets uni- 

 form, or only the lowest pairs smaller, while in the common potato, and 

 the 18 allied forms recognised by Dunal as species (but perhaps all mere 

 varieties of one species,) a set of much smaller leaflets are interposed be- 

 tween the larger ones. 



(2.) These wild potatoes have been known for some time. Passing by 

 Dr. James, who gathered the one which bears his name, 36 years ago, 

 but without knowing it was tuberiferous, we may attribute their proper 

 discovery to that most excellent botanical explorer, Mr. Fendler, whose 

 collection made nine years ago in the northern part of New Mexico, com- 

 prised both species, with their tubers. They were also gathered by Mr. 

 Wright, in 1849, and are contained in his invaluable collection made be- 

 tween Eastern Texas and El Paso by the military road then opened 

 through that region : and again in 1851 and 1852, they were gathered 

 in various parts of New Mexico by Mr. Wright, Dr. Bigelow, and the 

 other naturalists attached to the Mexican Boundary Commission, who 

 recognised their near relationship to the common potato. 



(3.) Some experience has already been had in cultivating other and 

 nearly related species as a substitute for Solanum tuberosum, but without 

 the good results that were hoped for. M. Alph. De Candolle relates 

 (Prodr. 13, p. 67 7,) that the Mexican Solanum verrucosum, was cultiva- 

 ted two years in Switzerland, near Geneva, without being affected by the 

 disease which destroyed all the crops of the common potato in the vicin- 

 ity ; but on the third year this also was attacked (Vide Alph. DeCand. 

 Geogr. Bot., p. 815). a. a. 



2. Notes on Palceozoic Bivalved Entomostraca; Nos. I. and II ; on some 

 Species of Beyrichia from the upper silurian ' limestones of Scandinavia 

 and other regions British and Foreign ; by T. Rupert Jones, F.G.S. — 

 These important researches, illustrated by copper plates, are published in 

 the Annals and Magazine of Natural History, for August and September, 

 1855. 



3. Cumce. — In a recent number of the Annals and Magazine of Nat- 

 ural History, Mr. Bates describes some Crustacea related to Cumse, which 

 had young and therefore were adults. This is not in conflict with the 

 statement of Prof. Agassiz in this Journal, vol. xiii, p. 426, where he says : 

 "In regard to the Crustacea called Cumae, I cannot say positively that 

 the group must as a whole be suppressed. But I can state with confi- 

 dence that all the species of that genus which I have had an opportunity 

 to examine alive — and I have watched three — are young of Palaamon 



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