654 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



in the first paper, of which fifty-four belong to the extensive 

 genus Agaricus. The papers of Mr. Grote likewise include 

 a very large number of new genera and species, his most in- 

 teresting announcement being the occurrence in North Amer- 

 ica of the genus Oncocnemis^ which, according to Mr. Grote, 

 has hitherto only been known from the Ural Mountains. The 

 discovery of three species in Colorado is, therefore, a fact 

 of much interest in connection with the geographical distri- 

 bution of animals. 



THE TOREEY BOTANICAL CLUB. 



The Torrey Botanical Club, which has been in active exist- 

 ence for a number of years, was recently reorganized by the 

 election of George Thurber, as president ; T. F. Allen, as vice- 

 president ; James Hogg, corresponding secretary ; William 

 H. Leggett, editor of the Bulletin; and P. V. Leroy, as cu- 

 rator. Up to the time of his death this club had been under 

 the presidency of Dr. Torrey, and the seventh number of Vol- 

 ume IV. of the Bulletin contains a sketch by the present 

 l^resident of the history which led to the organization of the 

 club, and a eulogium upon the eminent botanist whose name 

 it bears. 



The meetincrs of the club are held at tlie Herbarium in Co- 

 lumbia College on the last Tuesday of every month, and 

 many interesting communications are frequently presented, 

 as shown by the record in the Bulletin. An appeal is made 

 to the friends of science to establish a fund of about three 

 thousand dollars for the permanent endowment of the official 

 organ. This is the only periodical in the country devoted 

 exclusively to botany, and is now in its fourth year of publi- 

 cation. 



It may not be generally known that the Herbarium of Co- 

 lumbia College, in connection with which this club was start- 

 ed, is one of the finest in the country. It contains all the im- 

 mense collections gathered by Dr. Torrey during the many 

 years of his life, including the exchanges which he was en- 

 abled to make with herbaria at home and abroad. For a 

 long time Dr. Torrey was the recognized head in American 

 botany, and then shared the position, up to the time of his 

 death, with Dr. Gray. On this account the greater number 

 of the collections made by all the government exploring par- 



