Varietäten, Descendenz, Hybriden. 
619 
polymorphie genera. As an example he sums up his own studies ot 
the genus Rubus, of which abstracts are given at other places in 
Bot. Centralbl., and which clearly show that the value of the forms 
is only intelligible when making experiments. 
From such points of view he criticizes the papers by S. Alm- 
quist on Rosa , by E. Almquist on Capsella bursa pastoris, and 
by V. Wittrock on Linnaea, all of which have been published in 
“Äcta Horti Bergiani”, Vol. IV, N°. 4. His criticisms against E. 
Almquist’s studies on Capsella of which this author describes 65 
“elementary species”, are very severe. Mr. Lidforss refers to the 
studies of Lotsy and especially to those of George H. Shull, 
which have given quite other results and which can be trusted. 
His last words are: “zwischen den Anschauungen, die sich in 
diesen Arbeiten der Acta Horti Bergianii kundgeben, und dem 
Geiste, von dem die Arbeiten eines Correns’s oder eines Johann- 
sen’s durchweht werden, klafft ein ganzes Jahrhundert.” 
C. H. Ostenfeld, 
Marquand» E. D., Primrose flowers: A study of pincen- 
tres. and rose-centres. (Rep. and Trans. Guernsey Soc. Nat. 
Sei. for 1907. p. 323—328.) 
An examination of flowers troughout the season from early in 
April until the second week in June, observed a marked evenness 
in the general distribution of both forms in the Island of Guern¬ 
sey. Cf. 5289 flowers examined 2,653 (or 50.16 percent) had pin- 
centres and 2,636 (or 49.84 percent) had rose-centres. All possible 
kinds of localfly were examined but there was not the slightest in- 
dication that Situation, aspect, or season made any difference in 
the Proportion between the numbers of the two forms present. 
A. B. Rendle. 
Moss, C. E., The Hybrid Oak in Yorkshire and other parts 
of Britain. (The Naturalist. N°. 626. p. 113. March 1909.) 
Preliminary note on distribution of Quercus Robur X sessilißora; 
specimens have been identifled from many localities from Kent, 
throughout the Midlands and North of Englands to Central 
Scotland. The author’s conclusions on the Status, characters and 
distribution of British Oaks will be published later. 
W. G. Smith. 
Mudge, G. P., “On the hereditary transmission of certain 
Coat Characters in Rats” — Paper I: ‘On some features 
of the hereditary transmission of the self-black and „Irish” 
Coat Characters in Rats’: (Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. Ser. B. Vol. 
80. pp. 97—121.) and Paper II: ‘On some features of the here¬ 
ditary transmission of the Albino Character and the Black 
Piebald Coat in Rats’: (Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond., Ser. B. Vol. 80. 
p. 388—393. 1908.) 
The author’s experiments on Rats (Mus decumanus) w r ere begun 
at about the same time as, but independently of, those of Doncaster, 
whose conclusions the author confirms. !n addition, some new 
results are brought forward. 
The results are interpreted according to the “Presence and Ab¬ 
sence” theory, the factors concerned being taken to be: 
