POPULAR MISCELLANY. 



135 



a scientific basis as a recognized department 

 of anthropology. A growing interest in its 

 study is manifested especially since it is re- 

 garded as an important adjunct to history, 

 often indeed preserving the only records of a 

 race. The officers of the society for 1890 are 

 as follows : President, Dr. Daniel G. Brinton, 

 Philadelphia, Pa. ; Council, Hubert Howe 

 Bancroft, San Francisco, Cal. ; Franz Boas, 

 "Worcester, Mass. ; H. Carrington Bolton, 

 New York, N. Y. ; Thomas Frederick Crane, 

 Ithaca, N. Y . ; Alice Fletcher, Nez Perces 

 Agency, Idaho ; Victor Guillou, Philadelphia, 

 Pa. ; Horatio Hale, Clinton, Out. ; Mary Hem- 

 enway, Boston, Mass. ; Henry W. Henshaw, 

 Washington, D. C. ; Thomas Wentworth Hig- 

 ginson, Cambridge, Mass. ; William Preston 

 Johnson, New Orleans, La. ; Charles G. Le- 

 land, London, England ; Otis T. Mason, 

 Washington, D. C. ; Secretary, W. W. New- 

 ell, Cambridge, Mass. ; Treasurer, Henry 

 Phillips, Jr., Philadelphia, Pa. The society 

 publishes a quarterly, entitled The Journal 

 of American Folk-Lore, a handsome octavo, 

 bearing the imprint of Houghton, Mifflin & 

 Co. It is sent free to members. The mem- 

 bership fee is three dollars per annum. The 

 society numbers at present about three hun- 

 dred and fifty, but an increase in member- 

 ship, especially in New York and Brooklyn, 

 is desirable. Persons wishing to join the 

 society, or to receive the circular anaouncing 

 the meeting, should address Dr. H. Carring- 

 ton Bolton, University Club, New York city. 



Distribution of North American Plants. 



A sitting of the Biological Section of the 

 American Association was given, by appoint- 

 ment from the Toronto meeting, to the dis- 

 cussion of the geographical distribution of 

 North American plants. The first paper was 

 by Mr. Sereno Watson, on the relation of the 

 Mexican flora to that of the United States. 

 It showed that the Mexican flora is more 

 nearly related to the flora of our Eastern 

 than of our Western border. Prof. J. M. 

 Coulter, in a paper on the Distribution of 

 the Umbelliferrc, said that the study of the 

 subject was difficult, because of the imper- 

 fect definition of the genera. The order and 

 species were, however, better defined. The 

 order is essentially one of the north tem- 

 perate zone ; and, so far as North America 

 is concerned, it is an order of the United 



States. Of the fifty-three genera of the 

 United States twenty-five are also found in 

 Asia. The chief home of the order is in the 

 region of the Sierra Nevada, where fifty-four 

 per cent of our known species are found. 

 Special areas exist in the Great Basin and in 

 Arkansas. The Distribution of the Hepaticae 

 was described in a paper by Prof. L. M. Un- 

 derwood, who spoke of the defective condi- 

 tion of our knowledge of the subject. The 

 order is represented by about 2,500 species, 

 most of which are found in the south trop- 

 ical regions, in the moist forest areas, and 

 along the borders of waters. Prof. B. D. 

 Halsted traced the origin of some American 

 weeds and the manner of their spread over 

 the country, and described the lines along 

 which they have run and are still advancing. 

 The distribution of North American grasses 

 was described by W. J. Beal, who showed 

 the areas marked by special varieties, the 

 lines along which they are extending, and 

 the modifications that follow the change 

 from wild to cultivated land. The Cornaccce, 

 or order of dogwoods, was the subject of a 

 second paper by Dr. J. M. Coulter. It in- 

 cludes, he said, three genera, which find their 

 most congenial home in Mexico and along 

 the Mexican border. They are found far- 

 thest north in the Pacific States. The last pa- 

 per was by Prof. N. L. Britton, who presented 

 the general subject. Temperature, he said, 

 is the most important factor in distribution, 

 and it depends on elevation and latitude. 

 The most abundant flora is the temperate, 

 which extends along various lines to a con- 

 siderable distance north. The northern floras 

 are characteristic, but also extend south, 

 chiefly along the mountain-chains. Tracing 

 the paleontological evidences on the sub- 

 ject, the author thought that all plant-life 

 north of the fortieth degree of latitude was 

 probably destroyed during the Glacial period. 

 Below that line existed the circumboreal 

 flora, which subsequently followed the re- 

 treating ice north. Some suppose that it 

 thus simply returned to its former habitat. 

 The sub-tropical flora of the Tertiary age 

 must have been almost destroyed during the 

 Ice age, yet it has certain boreal characters. 

 There is a marked correspondence between 

 the boreal and tropical flora of America and 

 Europe, which can hardly be explained by 

 migration. Probably similar environment 



