Vol. XXV. No. 12.] 
POPULAR SCIENCE NEWS. 
181 
vania, takes a practical interest in histological 
investigations; a second finds his favorite study 
in geological science; a third devotes much of his 
time to the collection and study of the Lepidop- 
tera ; the fourth malses a specialty of the Odonata, 
or dragon-flies. While, therefore, the Chapter's 
work, as a Chapter, can hardly be said to repre- 
sent much at present, the individual members 
continue their studies as in former days. Wish- 
ing prosperity to the sister Chapters and to you, 
our common President, respectfully submitted, 
Philip P. Calvert, Sec. 
243, East Greenwich, R. I., [A].— Our Chapter 
is made up of students of East Greenwich Acad- 
emy. We meet in the cabinet of the Academy 
building. We have the use of a fine microscope 
and set of slides. The cabinet has a very good 
collection of minerals, fossils, and shells. We 
have held eighteen meetings during the year. 
We have had no excursion as a Chapter, but 
intend to soon. The members have made excur- 
sions at different times in search of specimens. 
Each membeV chooses a subject of study for him- 
self. Our President is enthusiastic in the study 
of entomology. Several members are interested 
in botany and others in conchology. As we live 
near Greenwich Bay we have an excellent oppor- 
tunity for studying the latter. The botanist, also, 
can find many rare plants in our woods and fields. 
The members have read papers on the following 
subjects : Zoology : Hermit crab, fiddler crab, 
horse-foot crab, Crustacea, lobster, mollusks, 
scallop, clam. These papers were illustrated by 
living specimens, when it was possible, and they 
were dissected to show the ditt'erent organs. 
Botany: Pitclier plant, sundew, orchids. Ento- 
mology : Tent caterpillar, dragon-fly, Colorado po- 
tato-beetle, Asterias butterfly, bees, house-fly, 
ants. Mineralogy: Quartz. We miss Professor 
Packard very much, as he did a great deal toward 
organizing our Chapter and helping us in our 
work of collecting specimens. His place is well 
filled, however, by Professor Alexander, who is 
quite enthusiastic. He is planning an excursion 
for the Chapter. — Mabel Palmer, Sec. 
245, Milton, Mass., [B]. — Chapter 245 has held 
only five regular meetings during the past year, 
but these have been supplemented by outings on 
Saturdays through the spring and fall, taken with 
and by invitation of the Barton Chapter, of Bos- 
ton. On these excursions we have studied bot- 
any, zoology, and geology. We have finished the 
second grade of Professor Guttenberg's course in 
mineralogy, and have kept up a lively interest in 
botany and ornithology, besides doing some work 
in conchology and algology. We have voted to 
keep a record of all observations of interest to the 
Chapter and read the same at the meetings for the 
coming year. Our membership is five, as last 
year. — Miss II. D. Hutchinson, Sec, 30 Morton 
street, Mattapan, Mass. 
264, Plainfleld, N. J., [A].— AVe now have thu-ty 
members, all greatly interested in the diflferent 
books in Nature's free library. Each division 
meets once a week, and a general meeting is held 
the first of the month, when talks of interest to 
all, Ijearing on science work, are given. A collec- 
tion of rocks and minerals, a chemical lecture- 
table, and a liberal supply of apparatus and 
chemicals are at the service of tlie mineral and 
kindred divisions. The eastern boundary of the 
city is a "terminal moraine" abounding in fossils 
and a variety of minerals. The surroundings of 
Plainfleld are also particularly adapted to the 
study of botany and ornithology, since marshy 
places are found here and there in the valley, and 
the low ridges of trap called the Watchung Moun- 
tains bound us on the west. A large case of 
stufl'ed specimens in the school hall is a help to 
the student. Those interested in other subjects 
are also assisted in their work, the microscope 
and telescope belonging to the school being used. 
Investigation in all branches of science is encour- 
aged.— Franklin S. Smith, M. S., Pres. ; William 
F. Moore, Sec. 
271, Port Chalmers, New Zealand, [A].— In ac- 
cordance with the rules of the club, the committee 
begs to submit the following report for the year 
1890: The club was founded at a meeting held 
February 27, 1800, and was afterwards afliliated 
to the Agassiz Association, of America. During 
the year eleven ordinary monthly meetings have 
been held, and seven excursions have been made, 
one to the Dunedin Museum and the otliers to 
places around Port Chalmers. The attendance at 
the ordinary meetings has been very good ; that 
at the excursions has been very fair. By the 
kindness of the school committee a handsome 
cabinet for the reception of specimens has been 
obtained, and a start has been made at the forma- 
tion of a school museum. Many objects of natu- 
ral history have been collected by the memliers of 
the club. In addition to these a small collection 
of Californian shells has been received from Mrs. 
Williamson, of Los Angeles, California. Your 
committee hope that their successors will soon 
set to work to arrange and label these specimens 
already obtained. During the year forty mem- 
bers have joined the club. The statement of the 
finances of the club shows a credit balance to the 
amount of £1 98. 8d. In concluding their report, 
your committee desires to congratulate the club 
on its success during the past year of its exist- 
ence, and to express the hope that it will be 
equally successful during the coming year. 
Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1 
Sept. 4, 1891. / 
THE EVENING PRIMPtOSE AND OTHER 
FLOWERS OF HALIFAX. 
September finds me as deeply interested in my 
favorite work as ever. Indeed, the more I study 
botany the fonder I become of it. Every new 
flower I find seems to become at once like a dear 
friend, and I really do not know which gives me 
the greatest pleasure — to find out the names of 
plants I have known for a long time only by 
sight, or to become acquainted with entirely new 
specimens. During my stay in the country I 
found a large number of plants, some of which 
I had seen before, and others I had often heard of 
l)ut never seen. But of all the plants I have seen 
this summer the evening primrose ((Enothera bi- 
ennis) interested me the most, and I have gathered 
many specimens and watched the flowers open 
from evening to evening. Until my acquaintance 
with the evening-primrose I never saw a flower in 
the very act of opening, and truly it was well 
worth the careful watching bestowed upon it. 
One specimen I had, opened at least one flower 
regularly every evening, and sometimes two or 
three, for nearly a week. It was very curious to 
see them open. The first one I watched opened 
very quickly, coming into full bloom in about five 
minutes after once beginning to split. First the 
bud split the least little bit at the sides ; then the 
slits gradually widened and the petals inside be- 
gan to expand ; then the points of the sepals sep- 
arated from each other in two pairs, each pair 
tightly fastened together. It seemed almost as 
if the flower was breathing, panting to be free. 
Very soon after the sepals parted they sprang 
back suddenly with a jerk, and slowly settled 
into their reflexed position, again splitting as they 
did so. After the first night the operation was 
not nearly so rapid, but took usually from a half 
hour to an hour and a half or two hours. 
The jewel-weed (Impatiens fulva) amused me 
very much by the sudden way in which its pods 
burst. I had never witnessed this performance 
before, though I had often seen the flower. The 
dear little Viola cucullata interested me very much, 
too, with its curious second blossom. For some 
time it puzzled me to know why, after once 
blooming, the violet should produce more flower- 
buds, which developed into seed-pods without any 
appearance of a blossom. Since then I have 
learned that these buds really contain flowers as 
truly perfect as the earlier kind, though insignifi- 
cant looking by comparison, the parts of the 
flower being all closely hidden away in the en- 
folding sepals. 
Many other plants I have met with, and all have 
equally shared my interest ; but it would make 
my list too long were I to mention any more. 
With every good wish for the A. A., I remain 
Yours truly, 
Katie W. Shannon, 
Cor. Mem. Chapter 1. 
(♦» — 
CHAPTER ADDRESSES, NEW AND 
REVISED. 
No. of 
No. Name. Members 
608 Vassalboro, Me. A 20 
Oak Grove Chapter, A. A. 
159 Lbs Angeles, Cal. A 13 
A. A. Chapter 159, care State Normal School. 
613 Union Springs, N. Y. A 37 
Friends' Academy, A. A. 
<♦> 
Reports from Chapters 1-100 should reach the 
President by January 1. 
