203 



March 2, 1877. 



The President in the chair. Twenty-one members present. 



The following were elected Corresponding Members : 



W. L. Distant, London, England. 



C. H. Fernald, Orouo, Maine. 



Mr. Grote drew attention to a jiaper by J. Boll, of Dallas, Texas, 

 on the fecundation of the species of Yucca, in which it was denied, 

 from fresh facts observed by the author, that the little moth, discov- 

 ered by Dr. Engelman and described by Mr. Eiley and Prof. Zeller, is, 

 essential to the fertilization of these plants. Mr. Boll w'itnessed the 

 act of oviposition which took place from the outside of the seed- 

 capsule. After the insertion of the egg the moth climbed upon the 

 anthers and with its maxillary palpi collected the pollen, and with 

 the assistance of the tongue rolled it into a mass with which it pro- 

 ceeded to stop up the hole in the capsule at the bottom of which 

 the egg had been laid. Mr. Boll observed that capsules which had 

 not been visited by the moth produced perfect seed, and explains the 

 fact that the Yucca does not seed in Europe by the change in its 

 environment and not by the absence of the moth. Mr. Boll also 

 found that in many cases the pollen was discharged upon the stigma 

 before the flower had opened and the moth enabled to enter. The 

 moth must be considered to intend to use the pollen, not upon the 

 stigma where it would be of service to the plant, but merely to fix 

 the egg more securely in its position in the capsule, the pollen 

 swelling on contact with the sap and closing the hole made by the 

 oviposition of the moth completely. Mr. Boll concludes that in 

 this case as in others the fertilization is only accidentally furthered 

 by the moth, and that the generic name Promiba, proposed for the 

 moth by Mr. Riley, is a misnomer. 



Mr. Henry Rowland read the following paper: "Recent 

 ArcliJBological Discoveries in the American Bottom." 



On motion of Mr. Grote the paper was referred to the Publication 

 Committee. 



