November-December, 19 US 



CHICAGO NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM BULLETIN 



Page S 



PARASITISM BY MISTLETOES 

 CREATES 'WOOD-FLOWERS' 



Among the botanical objects recently 

 received by the Museum from the Depart- 

 ment of Botany of Northwestern University 

 is an unusual specimen of what is commonly 

 called a "wood-flower." This is a bizarre 

 flower-like formation of the wood of a branch 

 of a hardwood tree, and marks the place of 

 former attachment of a mistletoe plant 

 which in this case must have been of 

 enormous size. 



The whole extravagant wood structure, 

 which measures sixteen inches in length and 

 twelve inches in diameter, is the empty 

 socket in which the parasitic plant was once 

 fastened, and represents the response of the 

 tree to the prolonged presence and great 

 increase in size of its incubus. The thin 

 bark which once covered the external surface 

 of the structure has disappeared; the com- 

 plicated inner surface with its radiating 

 ridges and grooves is virtually a huge scar 

 left by the death and removal of the parasite. 



The wood of the branch is that of an Inga, 

 a common tropical leguminous tree fre- 

 quently planted for shade on coffee planta- 

 tions, especially in Central America where 

 trees are often infested by a tropical mistle- 

 toe, Psittacanthus. This is a rather broad- 

 leaved parasitic shrub with showy red 

 flowers, and is well known for causing the 

 production of so-called "wood-flowers" on 

 branches of the trees unfortunate enough 

 to serve as host. 



The specimen on exhibition, together with 

 a reproduction of a branch of Psittacanthus, 

 is found in the case devoted to the mistle- 

 toe family in the plant life exhibits in 

 Martin A. and Carrie Ryerson Hall (Hall 

 29). Various other very different forms of 

 mistletoe hold-fasts also are to be seen there, 

 as well as the North American mistletoe 

 commonly used as a Christmas decoration. 

 In connection with this, it may be pointed 

 out that Botanical Leaflet No. 24 treats of 

 mistletoe and holly.' — B.E.D. 



SATURDAY CHILDREN'S PROGRAMS 

 —RAYMOND FOUNDATION 



The James Nelson and Anna Louise 

 Raymond Foundation for Public School 

 and Children's Lectures will continue its 

 autumn series of free motion picture pro- 

 grams for children on Saturday mornings 

 during November. These programs, to 

 which children from all parts of Chicago 

 and suburbs are invited, will be presented 

 twice each Saturday, at 10 a.m. and at 11, 

 in the James Simpson Theatre of the 

 Museum. 



Following is the schedule: 



November 3— Magic from the Earth. 

 The story of coal and oil. 

 Also a cartoon. 



November 10 — Along the Mississippi. 

 Also a cartoon. 



November 17 — Chimpanzee Circus. 

 Mr. Leon Smith, trainer of the chimps 

 in the St. Louis Zoo, will explain the pic- 

 tures. He will be accompanied by his 

 dog Suki. 



November 24— All-Cartoon Program. 



SATURDAY AFTERNOON LECTURES 



The Museum will continue its annual 

 Autumn Lecture Course for adults on 

 Saturday afternoons during November. 

 Four lectures on natural science and travel 

 in far places will be given. 



The lectures, most of which are accom- 

 panied by motion picture films in color, 

 will be given in the James Simpson Theatre, 

 and all begin at 2:30 p.m. 



No tickets are necessary for admission to 

 these lectures. A section of the Theatre is 

 reserved for Members of the Museum, each of 

 whom is entitled to two reserved seats. Re- 

 quests for these seats should be made in 

 advance by telephone (WABash 9410) or in 

 writing, and seats will be held in the Mem- 

 ber's name until 2:30 o'clock. 



Following are the dates, and the subjects 

 and lecturers booked: 



November 3 — Land of Tomorrow — South 

 Africa. 

 Austen West. 



November 10 — Birds of the Sage Brush 

 Country. 

 Martin K. Bovey. 



November 17 — Roads North. 

 Karl Robinson. 



November 24 — Volcano in Action. 

 Dr. Frederick Pough. 



The concluding lecture, by Dr. Pough of 

 the American Museum of Natural History, 

 is an outstanding feature of the course, 

 presenting in natural color motion pictures 

 the story of the new Mexican volcano, EI 

 Parlcutin, which is probably the most 

 notable natural history phenomenon in 

 many centuries. 



Not What They Seem 



Things are not always what they seem — 

 a case in Frederick J. V. Skiff Hall (Hall 37), 

 is filled with what appear to be ordinary 

 stalagmites, stalactites and incrustations 

 from cave deposits. They are really rich 

 lead and zinc ores formed in the same way 

 as cave deposits. 



MANGBETU WOMAN 

 "RACES IN BRONZE" 



(December lecture) 



•Chicago Natural History Museum Press — 25 cents. 



Crucibles, flasks, and other utensils blown 

 from quartz are used in chemical laboratories 

 to fit conditions no glass can endure. 



LAYMAN LECTURES ON SUNDAYS, 

 NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER 



Sunday afternoon lectures by Paul G. 

 Dallwig, the Layman Lecturer, in November 

 will be on "The Romance of Wood"; in 

 December his subject will be "The Parade of 

 the Races in Bronze." 



In the first of these, to be presented on 

 November 4, 11, 18 and 25, Mr. Dallwig 

 will explain the difference between hardwood 

 and softwood; tell how mahogany, walnut 

 and other fine 

 woods are imi- 

 tated — and how 

 imitations may 

 be detected. He 

 will survey the 

 early and pres- 

 ent uses of 

 wood, and trace 

 the develop- 

 ment of lami- 

 nated construc- 

 tion, plywoods 

 and veneers as 

 employed by 

 the most famous 

 custom designers of furniture of the present 

 and earlier eras. He will als* explain new 

 scientific discoveries based on the chemistry 

 of wood making it possible to mold it like 

 clay, yet make it as hard as steel. From this, 

 he will go into the proce.sses of turning 

 "wood wastes" into alcohol, plastics, and 

 other commercial products. 



In December (Sundays the 2nd, 9th, 16th, 

 23rd and 30th) Mr. Dallwig will present a 

 revised and up- 

 to-date version 

 of one of the 

 subjects which 

 has proved most 

 popular in his 

 past seasons, 

 based upon the 

 Races of Man- 

 kind sculptures 

 by Mai vina 

 Hoffman. In 

 effect, the lec- 

 ture is an intro- 

 duction to all 

 the principal 

 peoples of the world — both those who live 

 in jungle and other primitive conditions, 

 and those in the countries where civilization 

 has been developed to the highest degree. 

 The starling time of the lectures this season 

 has been changed to 2:30 P.M. instead of 

 S P.M., the starling time in effect last season. 

 The heavy demand by the public for 

 Mr. Dallwifi's lectures, and the neces- 

 sity of limiting the size of each audi- 

 ence make it necessary to require 

 advance reservations. Lectures are 

 necessarily restricted to adults. Reser- 

 vations will be accepted by mail or 

 telephone (WABash 9410). 



A MUSEUM WOOD 

 MONOGRAPH 



(Nofember lecture) 



