ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 769 
Herr 0. Kirclmer * * * § gives very careful details of the structure of 
about 120 species of plants, natives of Wurtemberg, with especial 
reference to the adaptations of the structure of the flower for pollination 
by insect agency. 
The last instalment of the series of papers on Flowers and Insects 
by Mr. C. Robertson f describes the mode of pollination of American 
species belonging to the Lobeliacese, Campanulacefle, and Apocynacete. 
Pollination and Hybridizing of Albuca.iJ — Mr. J. H. Wilson 
describes the mode of pollination in several species of this genus from 
the Cape, belonging to the Liliacese. A. corymbosa is pollinated by 
humble-bees, and there is no spontaneous self-pollination. A. fastigiata 
is apparently sterile with its own pollen, either from the same or from 
a different flower; but is fertile when crossed with that of A. corymbosa . 
Attempts failed, on the other hand, to impregnate A. corymbosa with 
pollen of A. fastigiata. The hybrids obtained by impregnating A. 
fastigiata with pollen of A. corymbosa were intermediate in structure 
between the two parents ; and their descendants, obtained by artificial 
pollination, retained these characters, and did not revert to the structure 
of either parent. 
Pollination of Orobancheae.i — Herr P. Knuth describes the mode of 
pollination in Lathrsea squamaria, which is proterogynous and visited by 
humble-bees ; and in Phelipsea cserulea, in which the flowers are blue 
and conspicuous, but are not visited by insects. In this species, as well 
as in Orobanche elaiior, which has brown inconspicuous flowers, the 
structure is adapted for self-pollination. 
Influence of Temperature on Germinating Barley. || — According to 
Mr. T. C. Day, the most important point brought to light by his obser- 
vations on this subject is, that the sugars reach their maximum, the 
starch suffers the greatest amount of degradation, the permanently 
soluble nitrogenous compounds are present in the greatest quantity, and 
the diastatic ferment is the most active, in malt grown throughout at a 
temperature of 55° F. The evidence as to the peculiar change in the 
composition of the malts which were grown at a temperature above 55° F. 
is strongly corroborated by the determination of the carbon dioxide and 
dry root formed. At higher temperatures, it appears that a portion at 
least of the carbon dioxide was produced at the expense of the sugars 
and other soluble carbohydrates, formed at the earlier stages of germi- 
nation, rather than that the whole was furnished by the oxidation of the 
starch. 
Vitality of Seeds. 1 — Mr. W. B. Hemsley records two illustrations of 
the fact that the seeds of sea-shore plants will germinate after prolonged 
immersion in salt water. Seeds of Thespesia populnea and of Ipomoea 
* Beitr. z. Biol. d. Bliithen, Stuttgart, 1890. See Bot. Centralbl., xlvii. (1891) 
p. 138. 
f Bot. Gazette, xvi. (1891) pp. 65-71. Cf. this Journal, 1890, p. 628. 
X Bot. Jaarboek, iii. (1891) pp. 232-59 (1 pi.). See Bot. Centralbl., xlvii. (1891) 
p. 68. 
§ Bot. Jaarboek, iii. (1891) pp. 20-32 (1 pi.). See Bot. Centralbl., xlvii. (1891) 
p. 67. || Journ. Cbem. Soc., 1891, pp. 664-77 (2 pis. and 1 fig.). 
^ Ann. of Bot., v. (1891) pp. 406-7. 
