VOL. III.] Proceedings of Societies. 79 



The Identity of Asdepias steiiophyUa arid Acerates auriculata. 

 John M. Holzinger. Bot. Gaz., Apr., 124. Mr. Holzinger hav- 

 ing made careful study of the various forms of those plants, consid- 

 ers them mere variations of the same species, and unites them under 

 the oldest available specific vva.Vl\q, Asdepias auriculata {Y.wo^XYd.y 

 Studies of this kind are of much more importance than dozens of 

 barely distinguishable " new species." K. B. 



PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 



California Academy of Sciences. February i, i8g2. Presi- 

 dent Harkness in the chair. 



The Librarian reported 153 additions to the library. 



Charles A. Keeler read a paper on " Heredity in its Relation to 

 the Inheritance of Acquired Characters." 



February 75, 18^2. President Harkness in the chair. 



Donations to the museum were reported from Charles A. Keeler, 

 H. Abbott, Herbert Brown, E. D. Flint, Miss Louise A. Littleton, 

 Geo. B. Badger, Charles N. Comstock, Charles Hubbard, T. B. 

 Sanders, George W. Dunn, William G. Blunt, Walter E. Bryant. 



The Librarian reported 160 additions to the library. 



Dr. Gustav Eisen read a paper entitled: "The Evolution of the 

 Forms of Trees as Produced by Climatic Influences." 



MarcJi 7, i8g2. President Harkness in the chair. 



Donations to the museum were reported from W. S. Bliss, Gus- 

 tav Eisen, T. B. Sanders. 



Letters were read announcing ""the donation to the herbarium of 

 a collection of Greenland plants by John H. Redfield, and of a pack- 

 age of specimens of Sphagna of the northeastern United States, by 

 Edwin Faxon, and a vote of thanks was tendered to each of those 

 gentlemen. 



Charles A. Keeler read a paper entitled: " Is Natural Selection 

 Creative?" 



Dr. Harkness exhibited specimens of the Cynips which is now so 

 abundant in Golden Gate Park, also of the galls from which they 

 are emerging, and made some remarks on their life-history. 



