14 
vastness of things—ranches, orchards, vineyards, forests, lands 
to be tenanted, deserts to be reclaimed, mines to be worked—an 
with the big-hearted, patriotic, unshackled, enterprising, hopeful 
men and women who are pushing this sect’on to the front. The 
enthusiasm everywhere shown in preparation for the coming 
Panama Exposition is only an illustration of the human energy 
that is actively asserting itself from one end of the Coast to the 
Respectfully submitted, 
W. MuRRILL, 
Assistant Director. 
CONFERENCE NOTES. 
The conference of the scientific staff and students was held 
in the main laboratory on December 4. The first paper, by 
Mr. William R. Maxon, of the U. S. National Museum, was 
entitled ‘‘Notes on the Tree Ferns of North America.” The 
speaker enumerated the main features regarded as important 
in the major classification of the Cyatheaceae, and particularly 
of the tribe Cyatheae which is usually regarded as embracing 
three genera, Cyathea, Alsophila and Hemitelia, separated mainly 
upon characters of the indusium. Jenman and, more recently, 
Copeland have argued against maintaining these genera, the 
latter author reducing all to the single genus Cyathea, with 
several subgenera. The justification of this treatment was 
discussed at some length and the need suggested of a thorough 
revision of the group upon characters of minute morphology 
other than those of the indusium. 
Mr. Maxon also reviewed a recent paper* describing a peculiar 
new fern from Panama, Polypodium podocarpum, a subpinnate 
species in which the sori are essentially apical upon special lobes 
of the pinnae and the apices of the fronds and of the pinnae are 
of indefinite evolution. The pinnae are produced frequently 
to a remarkable length, especially by injury to other parts of 
axon, William R. A remarkable new fern from Panama. (Smithsonian 
Miscellaneous Collections. Vol. 56, part 24. Pp. 1-5, pls. 1-3. November 
IQII.) 
22, 
