Maech 6, 1896.] 



SCIEA'CE. 



373 



entitled ' Botanizing in Hawaii. ' Lantern views 

 were presented illustrating the geography and 

 topography of the islands and a number of the 

 more interesting plants. About twenty-five 

 per cent, of the species collected are supposed 

 to be undescribed. The endemic character of 

 the flora of the islands, and of each island as 

 contrasted with the others, was dwelt upon. 



Dr. Arthur Hollick, through Dr. Britton, 

 submitted a paper on ' New Leguminous Pods 

 from the Yellow Gravel Sandstone at Bridgeton, 

 N. J. ' The paper was illustrated by specimens 

 belonging to the genera Lonchocarpus and 

 Mezoneurum. H. H. Rusby, 



Recording Secretary. 



BOSTON SOCIETY OF NATUKAL HISTOEY. 



A GENEKAL meeting was held February 5th ; 

 forty-four persons present. Mr. Herbert Lyon 

 Jones spoke of the biological adaptations of 

 desert plants to their surroundings, mentioning 

 first the food of plants, their adaptations for 

 retaining moisture, and the adaptations that go 

 to preserve the moisture. The struggle of 

 plants in tropical regions was noted ; also the 

 struggle of desert plants against inorganic 

 nature. The efi'ects of the amount of rain, the 

 variations in leaf surface, and the protections 

 afforded to leaf aijd to stem were discussed. 

 Where the rainfall is limited to a few inches 

 the leaves are thickened and covered with a 

 coating of wax ; in some regions of considerable 

 rainfall the plants suddenly put out delicate 

 leaves. The Australian Acacias show the most 

 numerous adaptations of leaf surface; in some 

 Cacti the leaf surface is entirely wanting, the 

 function being performed by the stems. 



The protection afforded to leaf and stem by 

 coatings of wax is always thick in desert plants, 

 and the hairy coatings form a striking adapta- 

 tion in many plants, and are best showai in the 

 jflants of the Mediterranean flora. 



The fertilization of desert plants was described 

 in detail, also the distribution of their seeds 

 and fruits ; and Mr. Jones closed with remarks 

 explanatory of the fine series of lantern slides 

 illustrating the biological adaptations of desert 

 plants to their surroundings. 



Samuel Henshaw, 



Secretary. 



academy OF NATURAL SCIENCES, PHILADEL- 

 PHIA, FEBRUARY 18. 



A PAPER entitled as follows was presented 

 for publication : ' Contributions to the Life His- 

 tory of Plants, No. XII.,' by Thomas Meehan: 

 1. Fecundity of Heliophytum Indicum ; 2. 

 Origin of the Forms of Flowers ; 3. Spines in 

 the Citrus Family ; 4. Flowers and Flowering 

 of Lamium purpureum ; 5. Cleistogamy in ITm- 

 belHferse; 6. Rhythmic Growth in Plants; 7. 

 , Pellucid dots in some species of Hypericum ; 8. 

 Honey Glands of Flowers ; 9. Varying Phyllo- 

 taxis in the Elm ; 10. Special Features in a 

 Study of Cornus stolonifera ; 11. Folial Origin 

 of Cauline Structures ; 12. Polarity in the 

 leaves of the Compass and other plants ; 13. 

 Hybrids in Nature ; 14. Origin and Nature of 

 Plant Glands ; 15. Nutrition as affecting the 

 Forms of Plants and their Floral Organs ; 16. 

 Some Neglected Studies. 



Mr. D. S. Holman exhibited a new stage for 

 the microscope devised for the purpose of study- 

 ing large objects and widely spread prepara- 

 tions. It can be adapted to all instruments 

 provided with square stages and has a motion 

 of two inches each way. 



Preparations of minerals containing diatoms 

 in transverse section and other microscopic ar- 

 rangements of diatoms prepared by Mr. 

 John A. Schulze were exhibited by Mr. F. J. 

 Keeley. 



Prof. Edw. D. Cope described specimens of 

 fossil reptilia from the Premian and Trias. 

 They belonged to the order Cotylosauria which 

 had been described by him in 1879, and was 

 afterwards characterized by Seeley from African 

 types. The order embraces the families Elgi- 

 niidaj, Pariasauridte, Diadectidse and Parioti- 

 chidee, the distribution and characters of which 

 were dwelt on. New genera of Diadectidse 

 were described under the names Bolbodon and 

 Diatomodon, the teeth of which, as well as of 

 the other genera of the family, were illustrated. 

 The Platodontia may have been derived from 

 the Diadectidce. The roof over the temporal 

 fossa and the foramen for the temporal eye were 

 illustrated by specimens. The molar teeth of a 

 species of Empedias, the cranium of Bolbodon 

 tenuitectis and the lower jaw of Diatomodon 

 were exhibited. Another form described under 



