31G PROCEEDINGS: BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



winter-quarters. The hole from which it had emerged was beneath a 

 dense growth of green-briar in an old field, and about 50 yards from 

 the nearest marsh. The burrow was 9| inches deep, and was open 

 save at the lower end, where the animal had apparently lain encased 

 in a mass of mud. The actions and condition of the turtle after being 

 placed in water were described in detail, and an account of a post- 

 mortem examination of the viscera was given. Messrs. W. P. Hay, 

 M. W. Lyon, Jr., and Wm. Palmer took part in the duscussion. 



A. S. Hitchcock: Botanizing in the Hawaiian Islands. The speaker 

 visited the Hawaiian Islands during, five months of 1916. He said 

 the trade winds deposit their moisture upon the eastern and northern 

 mountains of all the islands, furnishing the conditions for rain forests 

 in these regions. The lee side of the islands is dry even to aridity. 

 An interesting feature of the wet areas at or near the summit of the 

 ridges are the open bogs. These bogs are devoid of trees and large 

 shrubs, but contain a variety of low shrubs and herbaceous plants. 

 Many species form tussocks, or hemispherical masses, raised above 

 the level of the bog. The most conspicuous of the tussocks is made by 

 a sedge (Oreobolus furcatus, Mann). Three peculiar species of Pani- 

 cum are tussock-formers (Panicum monticola Hillebr., P. imbricatiim 

 Hillebr., and P. isachnoides Munro). Owing to the extreme isolation 

 of the islands, the flora is peculiar and interesting. The family Lobe- 

 liaceae is represented by about 100 species, belonging to about 6 

 genera. Many species are arboreous, forming trunks 10 to 20 feet 

 or in a few cases as much as 40 feet high. The crown of foliage gives 

 the aspect of a palm. The grasses, disregarding the introduced species, 

 are not numerous, but several are peculiar. The genus Eragrostis is 

 represented by numerous species. A rare species of Poa (Poa siphono- 

 glossa Hack.) produces leafless rushlike stems, as much as 15 feet long. 

 The talk was illustrated by maps, botanical specimens, and numerous 

 lantern slide views of various features of the islands. 



M. W. Lyon, Jr., Recording Secretary. 



