248 ROCHESTER ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. [Jail. 12, 



Falls and the Erie Railway Bridge were visited ; the sites of the 

 aqueduct and the proposed tunnel were viewed, and the " Slide, " 

 which has constantly changed the alignment of the railroad, excited 

 the interest of the members of the Section. In the course of the day, 

 the Chairman, Mr. Cartwright, stated that Congressman Brewster had 

 asked him the sentiment of the Engineers in regard to the adoption of 

 the Metric System. The question was put to vote with a majority of 

 sixteen to one in favor of the new system. 



An excursion to Niagara Falls was arranged for 'October 17, in 

 which the members of the Academy were invited to join ; but on 

 account of the small prospective attendance, and the inclemency of the 

 weather, the Committee having the matter in charge decided to 

 abandon it. 



The Committee recommends for the coming year that the meet- 

 ings of the Section be held once, instead of twice, each month, and 

 possibly on some night more convenient than Monday. 



Respectfully submitted, 



Robert Cartwright, 

 Edwin A. Fisher, 

 Wm. F. Jordan, 



Executive Committee. 



Rochester, N. ^^, January 12, 1897. 



Botanical Curator's Report. 



Mr. J. B. Fuller, Curator in Botany, reported that during the 

 year 1896, contributions had been made to the herbarium of the 

 Academy as follows : 



By Mr. William Streeter, the valuable collection of Mrs. Mary E. 

 Streeter, consisting of 1,360 specimens from various parts of the 

 United States and elsewhere, embracing 62 s])ecies of Trifolium, 208 

 Ferns, and many other plants not hitherto represented in our 

 herbarium. 



By Miss Mary E. Macauley, 130 specimens of Montana plants 

 collected and mounted by herself. 



By E. J. Hill, of Chicago, 45 specimens, embracing Jileocharis 

 capitata R. Br., Rhyncospora capillacea Torr. var. leviseta Hill, 

 Lcchea Leggettii Britton & Brown, and /.. minor L. from Lake 



