192 The Ohio Naturalist. [Vol. II, No. 3,. 



MEETING OF THE BIOLOGICAL CLUB. 



Monday Evening, December 2, 1901. 



The Biological Club met in Orton Hall, and was called to order 

 by the President, Prof. Mills. 



Under the head of personal observations Prof. Hine reported 

 the duck hawk as a new campus bird ; it was captured in 

 Townshend Hall. The Zoological department has received 

 lately a fine specimen of cassowary from Sells Brothers ; it will 

 be mounted and placed in the museum. Mr. Tyler reported 

 finding a species of Sphagnum on the shale cliffs north of Worth- 

 ington. 



In the reports on current literature Prof. Schaffner reviewed 

 Mr. Pieters' paper on " The Flora of Lake Erie." Prof. Osborn 

 called attention to the bulletins of the New York State Museum, 

 Nos. 46 and 47. 



Prof. Schaffner read an interesting paper on the " Self-Pruning 

 of Woody Plants." Many woody plants get rid of their super- 

 fluous twigs in this way, and occasionally these twigs are cut off 

 while green, so that green leaves are carried down with them. A 

 cleavage plane is usually formed, but in the willows a brittle zone 

 is formed near the main branch which answers the same purpose. 



Mr. Morse gave a paper on the " Reptiles of Ohio," in which 

 he gave a review of the lists so far published. The first list was 

 publi.shed in the Ohio Geological Survey of 1838. This includes 

 twenty-seven reptiles, about two-thirds of the number that we 

 now know from the state. Dr. Smith listed thirty-six species. 

 Prof. Cope, in the Report of the U. S. National Mu.seum for 

 1898, gives thirty-three reptiles, and Jordan's Manual gives forty 

 reptiles and twenty-seven batrachiaus that might occur in the 

 state. 



"The Caladium Rust" was the subject of the next paper by Mr. 

 Jennings. This rust is said to appear only on the leaves and 

 petioles and on the spathe of various species of Aracese. He had 

 found it, however, on the inner surface of the ovulary of Arissema 

 triphyllum. 



Mr. V. H. Davis was elected to membership. The club then 

 adjourned. 



F. J. TvLER, Seaetary. 



Mailed January 24, 1902. 



