586 
but characteristic portions of these animals or, 
in the case of the plants, by portions of the 
seeds or even the form of the starch grains. 
F. A. Lucas spoke of ‘Some Restorations of 
Dinosaurs’ saying that while a short time ago 
the Dinosaurs were very imperfectly known, 
now, through the exploration of our western 
territory and the systematic methods employed 
in collecting, we had a very thorough knowledge 
of these animals and are even able to present 
restorations of theirexternal appearance. The 
American Museum of Natural History, of New 
York, he said, led in this work, and the speaker 
explained the methods of collecting, showing 
views of some of the famous quarries and of 
the specimens as they appeared when prepared 
and mounted. The matter of restoration was 
discussed, and the deductions made from the 
skeletons described and various restorations 
shown made by Mr. Knight under the direction 
of Professor Osborn. F. A. Lucas. 
WASHINGTON PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 
THE 532d meeting was held March 16, 1901. 
The first paper was by Professor Updegraff, of 
the Naval Observatory, on the ‘Errors due to 
Imperfections on the Pivots of a Theodolite.’ 
After a reference to the well-known theory of 
elliptical pivots in a V-bearing whose sides are 
at right angles, the speaker considered the case 
of an elliptical pivot resting on two cylindrical 
lugs or ridges; the result of the investigations 
is that the center of the pivot when rotated does 
not change its elevation, but has a small move- 
ment in azimuth. In the long discussion that 
followed, Mr. E. G. Fischer, mechanician of the 
Coast and Geodetic Survey, pointed out that in 
actual practice the unequal wear of different 
parts of a pivot, due to unavoidable inequalities 
in the steel and to use of only a small arc, intro- 
duced much greater errors than any due to the 
original imperfections of manufacture. 
Mr. Hussey then gave (by invitation) ‘ An 
Informal Account of Recent Work at the Lick 
Observatory,’ showing superb lantern slides of 
stellar spectra and nebula. The interesting 
facts which he presented have been made ac- 
cessible to the public in other ways and need 
not be repeated here. C. K. WEAD, 
Secretary. 
SCIENCE. 
(N.S. Vou. XIII. No. 328. 
TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB. 
THE meeting of January 30, 1901, was held 
at the Botanical Academy, Bronx Park, New 
York City. 
A paper was presented by E. 8. Burgess on 
the history of Aster Claytoni, soon to appear in 
print. A series of specimens was exhibited 
showing type and variations, and a range from 
the Hudson River to Virginia. The first speci- 
men known was collected in the mountains of 
Virginia by John Clayton, apparently in or be- 
fore 1754, during his botanical expedition along 
the James or that to the sources of the Rappa- 
hannock. It is No. 767 of the Gronovian her- 
barium preserved by the British Museum. Com- 
parisons, kindly made by Mr. Edmund G. Baker, 
of the British Museum, show its identity with 
plants observed first on Manhattan Island at 
Inwood by HE. S. Burgess in 1896, and kept 
under observation since for study of develop- 
ment. The description of No. 767, written by 
Clayton and Gronovius, and published in the 
‘Flora Virginica,’ Part III, in 1762, without a 
specific name, long remained without reference 
to any of our known native species, Forster’s 
reference in 1771 to Aster macrophyllus proving 
untenable. In reestablishing the species in the 
‘Tllustrated Flora,’ in 1898, under the name 
Aster Claytoni, it was intended to pay this tardy 
tribute to the memory of its discoverer, John 
Clayton, rightly styled by Collinson as at that 
period, 1764, ‘ the greatest botanist of America.’ 
The species seems particularly frequent in the 
lower Hudson region, where it had, however, 
been hitherto confused with its smoother and 
more forking ally, Aster divaricatus. 
At the meeting of February 13, 1901, at the 
College of Pharmacy, in New York City, Dr. J. 
K. Small presented a paper entitled, ‘ Notes on 
Some Species of Rudbeckia,’ exhibiting a series 
of specimens of Rudbeckia, illustrating groups 
typified by R. hirta, R. triloba, R. laciniata, etc. 
Numerous critical characters depending on 
style-tips, form, serration or lobation of leaves, 
etc., were discussed. About 25 species occur 
east of the Rockies, 3 native to our own vicinity. 
All evidence shows Rudbeckia hirta to be an in- 
troduced plant in the northeastern states, per- 
haps from Maryland northward. Dr. Under- 
wood remarked that R. hirta seemed to be first 
