124 
minated on account of its showy flowers. Occasionally plants 
are found with pale yellow blossoms growing among the normal 
ones. 
It ranges from Nova Scotia to Northwest Territory south to 
Florida and Texas and ascends to high altitudes in the Alle- 
ghanies and the Rocky Mountains. 
It was first described and figured by Cornuti in 1635 and was 
called Agquilegia canadensis by Linnaeus in 1753. The generic 
name refers to a fancied resemblance of the spurs to the talons 
of an eagle; on this account and the wide range of the genus 
throughout the United States, it has been strenuously advocated 
for the honor of being called the national flower. About fifteen 
species of Aguilegia are known from the United States, ranging 
through the Rocky Mountains into Mexico and the western 
states; all have showy flowers varying from white to yellow and 
blue, and are greatly prized in cultivation. 
This genus belongs to the crowfoot family, Ranunculaceae, 
of which about thirty-five genera and one thousand and fifty 
species are distributed throughout the temperate regions of the 
world. 
ELIZABETH G. BRITTON. 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE PATH SYSTEM OF THE 
GARDEN. 
The construction of paths through the Garden reservation 
provided for by the general plan approved in 1897 has proceeded 
parallel with the grading, drainage and planting of the grounds, 
and little modification has been made in the positions selected 
for paths at that time, the only essential modification of the 
general plan having been the addition of certain paths which 
have been found necessary. At the present time, about four- 
fifths of the path system as planned in 1897 has been constructed 
en 
total length of paths contemplated by the original general plan 
still remaining entirely unconstructed is about 2,000 feet. - 
