Proceedings of the Club 139 



membership 142, honorary membership 3, total membership 382. 



Among the 1 8 scientific papers presented 5 had been accompanied 



by lantern views; 4 papers related to ferns. Nine illustrative 



exhibits of photographs, plates and flower paintings, etc., had 

 been held. 



The Editor, Professor L. M. Underwood, reported the regular 

 monthly issue of the Bulletin, forming the largest volume pub- 

 lished to date, including 650 pages besides 23 heliotype plates 

 and 38 figures in the text, and including 65 articles representing 

 39 authors. The publication of the Memoirs has been carried on 

 with unusual activity, including Dr. M. A. Howe's monograph on 

 the Californian Hepaticae (208 pages, 35 plates), Mr. Tracy E. 

 Hazen's " Life History of Sphaerella lacustris" (Haematococcus 

 phivialis) (33 pages, 2 colored plates) and the beginning of Profes- 

 sor F. E. Lloyd's Comparative Embryology of the Rubiaceae 

 (21 pages, 4 plates). 



Miss Marie L. Sanial, as Secretary of the Excursion Commit- 

 tee, reported 38 excursions held, with the new feature of excur- 

 sions for bryological and other collections in December, at one of 

 which 15 persons were present. 



The annual election was then held, and the previous board of 

 officers were elected. 



The scientific paper of the evening was by Professor Francis E. 

 Lloyd, on " The Relationship of certain Rubiaceae/ 1 forming part 

 of an investigation in the embryology of that order now in course 

 of printing among the Memoirs of the Torrey Club. The ground 

 of relationship considered was the ovary, which is classed as in- 

 ferior, but developmentally proves to be a receptacle hollowed out. 

 The flower seems to be derived from one with more separate corolla- 

 lobes. The Rubiaceae are very polymorphic externally, and there 



tb 



Such 



characters for the ovary of the Stellatae were discussed in detail. 

 That of the common buttonbush, CepJialanthus, was alluded to as 

 possessing certain ovary characters in form and relatively rapid 

 and prolonged growth of the basal partition which accord most 

 significantly with the unusually compressed position of the ovary. 

 Discussion followed regarding the passages of pollen -tube 

 through tissues rather than loosely in the cavity of the ovary. In 



