806 Synonymy of some North American OrchidaceoA. 



"You have probably seen, in the Canton papers, that on the 

 -5th of December, 1838, we had a merry exhibition of meteors. 

 Two observers counted a hundred and sixty in one hour from 8^ 

 to 9i, P. M."* 



[Note. — The observations above recorded, (which are perhaps 

 the first ever systematically made at this epoch in that part of the 

 globe,) serve to confirm the position, that about the 10th of Au- 

 gust, for two or three millions of miles at least, the earth traver- 

 ses a region abounding with small planetary or nebulous bodies, 

 which, when rendered luminous by their rapid passage through 

 our atmosphere, we call shooting stars. The observers seem not 

 to have endeavored to determine very closely the point of the 

 heavens from which the meteors appeared to diverge ; they refer 

 it to Cassiopeia or its vicinity, which cannot be far from that part 

 of Perseus in which the observations made in this country fixed 

 the radiant, (this Jour. Vol. xxxvii, p. 328.) Regarding the whole 

 number of meteors visible at Canton at this time, we can make 

 no definite estimate, since we are not informed whether the posi- 

 tions of the two observers were such as to secure the greatest 

 possible amount. The t?me of the night at which the meteors 

 were most numerous, appears to agree with our previous approxi- 

 mate determinations. E. C. H.] 



New Haven, Feb. 5, 1840. 



Art. XIII. — Remarks chiejiy on the Synonymy of several North 

 Americaii Plants of the Orchis Tribe ; by Asa Gray, M. D. 



There are comparatively very few representatives of the re- 

 markable family of Orchidaceous plants in the United States. 

 The Epiphytic forms, now the pride of conservatories, embracing 

 many of the most bizarre as well as splendid productions of the 

 vegetable kingdom, belong to tropical climes. Many species ap- 

 proach the southern borders of the United States, but only one 

 [Epidendrum Magnolice) is found within its limits. Linnasus 

 described only fourteen species of Epidendrum in the first edition 

 of the Species Plantarum, (1753.) Now, perhaps fourteen hun- 



* These meteoric observations, as well as many others made about that time, in 

 this country and in England, may be found in this Journal, Vol. xxxv, p. 361, 

 and Vol. xxxvi, p. 355. 



