xviii Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



speaker to have appareotly no connection with the mycor- 

 rhiza of the beech. Mr. von Schrenk's remarks were illus- 

 trated by drawings and alcoholic and sectioned specimens. 

 One person was proposed for active membership. 



January 23, 1899. 



President Eiigler in the chair, fifteen persons present. 



The resignation of Dr. H. N. Spencer, Mr. A. J. Van- 

 laudingham and Mr. James E. Yeatman, the cancellation of the 

 names of Drs. J. A. Close and J. E. Neville, and the addition 

 of the Literary and Scientific Society of Ottawa, the Pasa- 

 dena Academy of Sciences, and the University of Tennessee 

 to the exchange list of the Academy, were reported by the 

 Council. 



A paper by Professor A. S. Hitchcock, entitled Studies on 

 subterranean organs. I. Compositae of the vicinity of Man- 

 hattan, Kansas, was presented in abstract. 



Mr. C. H. Thompson spoke of some plants the flowers of 

 which originate endogenously. He mentioned several species 

 of Rhipsalis in which the much reduced leaves grow on tri- 

 angular or cylindrical very succulent stems, their axillary 

 buds originating deep down in the soft tissue and sometimes 

 having a passageway extending toward the surface. In two 

 species of Rhipsalis {R. paradoxa and R. fioccosa) there is 

 no such passageway, and the bud, in developing, breaks 

 through the epidermis. In Rhipsalis glaucosa, a number of 

 accessory abortive flowers were found. Cuscida glomerata 

 was mentioned as the only other plant in which, so far as the 

 speaker knew, subepidermal flowers occur. 



Mr. Aug. A. Busch, of St. Louis, was elected to active 

 membership. 



Two persons were proposed for active membership. 



February 6, 1899. 



President Engler in the chair, thirty-four persons present. 

 Professor F. E. Nipher presented, in an informal manner, 

 some recent conceptions in physical science. 



