130 
Miss E. C. Field, scientific assistant in the Bureau of Plant 
Industry, Washington, D. C., was at the Garden aay two weeks 
in April, consulting the collections of parasitic fun 
Mr. Fred J. Seaver, director of the Cre spent two 
days at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C., 
studying fungi in connection with his work for ‘“North American 
ora.’ 
Dr. John Hendley Barnhart, librarian, accompanied by Mrs. 
Barnhart, sailed for Europe, April 30. Dr. Barnhart will repre- 
sent the Garden at the International Botanical Congress to be 
held at Brussels, May 14-22. He has been commissioned to 
secure books for the Garden library. 
Dr. Arthur Hollick, curator, and Mr. Norman Taylor, assistant 
curator, spent several days in New Jersey, exploring the region 
from Freehold to Farmingdale, with the special object of examin- 
ing the flora of the marl belt and pine-barrens in that region. 
The flora was found to be about two weeks in advance of New 
York city. 
A scientific expedition to Colombia is being organized at Neu- 
chatel, the leader being Dr. O. Fuhrman, professor of zodlogy at 
Neuchatel University. Dr. Mayor will accompany the expedi- 
tion and devote his attention mainly to the parasitic flora. 
The regular force of museum aids has been temporarily in- 
creased in order to mount the large accumulation of herbarium 
specimens received several years ago. This material will be dis- 
tributed as fast as it is prepared, and thus made available for 
study. 
The water of the lakes north of the Museum Building late in 
April was observed to be clouded and murky and a microscopic 
examination of it showed it to be swarming with multitudes of 
minute diatoms of the genus Navicula. This spring the diatoms 
seem to have replaced in a large measure the usual luxuriant 
growth of Jfougeotia, Spirogyra,and other filamentous green algae. 
The diatoms are of peculiar interest to microscopists on account 
of their symmetrical and elegant forms and the regular and beau- 
tiful markings in their enclosing membranes. These enclosing 
walls are permeated with silica or silicic acid and the hard glass- 
