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Hybrid Brambles.—In the Journal of Botany for December, there is an interesting paper, by Dr. W. O. Focke, on "Some Hybrid Brambles," in which the author gives an account of his experiments in crossing the nearly allied varieties—Rubus gratus and R. bifrous, by which he has obtained a plant which he considers to be identical with R. Villicaulis. He says, "Now the question arises, what is the widely distributed R. Villicaulis? Is it, indeed, a constant race derived from a hybrid? It is not easy to understand how this can be the case, as R. gratus and R. bifrous grow scarcely anywhere at same spot. In the greater part of Germany, where R. Villicaulis is abundant, and probably also in England, there is never seen either of its supposed parents." He has also succeeded in producing hybrids by fertilisation of R. Idæus L. and R. Bellardi W. nd N., with the pollen of R. Casius L. The products ave quite sterile, and that of R. Idæus resembles the spontaneous hybrids described as R. Cresio-Idæus, &c.
Zoological Society.—Among the additions to the Society's menagerie during the months of August, September, and October are a Cape hedgehog, (Erineceus frontalis,) a young American tantalus, (Tantalus loculator,) a Brazilian marmot, (Mamotus brasiliensis,) two Guilding's amazons, (Chrysotis guildingi,) two sooty coots, (Fulica ardesiaca,) and a pair of African buffalos, (Buffalus æquinoctialis,) acquired by purchase.
Rare Birds.—The Rev. F. O. Morris, Nunburnholme Rectory, Hayton, York, has drawn public attention to the necessity of something being done to protect birds which yearly or occasionally visit our shores "who came to us, but never return again whence they came," being ruthlessly shot as soon as seen. He mentions the hoopoe, the blue-breast, the golden oriole, the roller, the bee-eater, the Orphean warbler, the great sedge warbler, the melodious willow warbler, and the Alpine warbler, the chough, the rose-coloured starling, &c., as some of the birds he would desire to have protected in order that they might have a chance of building, breeding, and so becoming naturalised among us, "as beyond all doubt some of them would if they were not destroyed."
The Challenger,—Measures are afoot for supplementing the researches of the Challenger Expedition by a series of deep-sea dredgings in the Indian Seas. These seas were purposely omitted from the scope of the Challenger's investigations. A new steamer is now being built in India, and an officer of the Coast Survey Department (Lieutenant Jarrad, R.N.) has been commissioned to see after the fittings and dredging appliances in England. Full information has been obtained from the old staff of the Challenger, and it is hoped that operations may be started next cold season (1878-79.) In that case it is probable that the first steps will be to run one or more lines of soundings across the Bay of Bengal in such directions as may seem best.
A fossil Peronospora of the Palæozoic age is described and illustrated by Mr. Worthington G. Smith, in the Gardeners' Chronicle of October 20th. It is the remains of a fungus found growing in the vascular bundles of a Lepidodendron from the coal measures, and the name he gives it is Peronosporites antiquarius. A criticism on the subject will be found in The Academy for November 17th, p. 475.
The Telephone.—At a recent meeting of the Society of Arts, Professor Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, gave an interesting account of the experiments by means of which he had arrived at the instrument in its present form, which, if not absolutely perfect, is rapidly