April 18, 1902.] 



SCIENCE. 



QSi 



mosses are described in its numbers that the 

 professional also must have access to it. 

 Latterly the illustrations have been improved, 

 some of the half-tones being especially fine, 

 so that in this particular it is a desirable addi- 

 tion to the periodical-shelf of any botanical 

 library. Compared with the much older 

 French journal Revue BryologiquBj the 

 American publication makes a very good 

 showing indeed, and, while perhaps not quite 

 so technically scientific, ours is quite the 

 superior in illustrations, printing and arrange- 

 ment of matter. For this country our journal 

 is much more useful than the French one. 



THE BOTANISTS AT PITTSBURG, 



It is not too early for the botanists of the 

 country to be planning for the Pittsburg 

 meetings in and in connection with the Ameri- 

 can Association for the Advancement of Sci- 

 ence, on June 30 and July 1, 2, 3. Coming so 

 closely after the end of the college year, this 

 should find an unusually large number of 

 botanists free to attend the meetings, after 

 which the practically unbroken vacation still 

 lies before each one. On many accounts this 

 should be a large meeting of the botanists. 

 The place of meeting is within easy reach of 

 both eastern and western botanists, and the 

 region is one which should offer many botan- 

 ical attractions quite out of the usual lines. 

 If the local botanists do their duty, as doubt- 

 less they will, there should be some, interesting 

 excursions, and opportunities for the examina- 

 tion of recent and also of fossil vegetation. 

 Botany ■ includes the vegetation of the past 

 as well as that of the present, and here will 

 be an opportunity for studying the former 

 which should not be allowed to pass unim- 

 proved. Botanists should not require the 

 geologists to be the only ones interested in 

 the plants of the earlier ages. 



A NEW DISTRIBUTION OF FUNGI. 



Under the title of 'Ohio Fungi Exsiccati,' 

 Professor W. A. Kellerman, of the State 

 University, Columbus, Ohio, has begun the 

 distribution of sets of specimens of the fungi 

 of Ohio, each accomjoanied by a copy of the 

 original description of the species. Fascicles 

 I. and II. have now appeared, and it is pos- 



sible to make out the place and value such a 

 collection will have for working botanists. In 

 the prefatory statement accompanying the 

 first fascicle we are told that the fascicles will 

 appear from time to time as material may be 

 available. "Original descriptions of all the 

 species, or that given in connection with the 

 first use of the binomial or technical designa- 

 tion, will be printed on the labels, in addition 

 to the data usually given." Every botanist will 

 see at once the importance of a distribution 

 of this nature, and it is to be regretted that 

 the edition is so small, the number of copies 

 being but few more than those sent to work- 

 ing botanists. The first fascicle contains 

 sixteen specimens, of which five are of Puc- 

 cinia.j three of JEcidium, four of Ointractia, 

 and one each of Peronospora, Phyllosticta, 

 ^eptoria and Ustilago. The second fascicle is 

 larger, including -twenty-six specimens, of 

 v/hich seven are species of Puccinia, five of 

 Uromyces, three of Ustilago, two of Oymno- 

 ronia, two of Gymnosporangium, and one each 

 of ^cidium, GlcBosporium, Melampsora, Pig- 

 gotia, Polystictus, Stereum and Urocystis. 

 The specimens are ample and are put up in 

 neat packets. Although these sets are in- 

 tended for exchanges only, and not for sale, 

 we are informed that a few copies may be ob- 

 tained by those who wish to purchase them, 

 at one dollar per fascicle. 



Charles E. Bessey. 

 The University of Nebraska. 



AEROt^AUTIGS. 

 Mr. Wilbur Wright presented to the West- 

 ern Society of Engineers, September 18, 1901, 

 a notable paper describing experiments resem- 

 bling those of Liliendahl, but decidedly more 

 successful. Advances have been made rapidly 

 in many directions during the past fifteen or 

 twenty years in some directions of interest in 

 connection with aeronautics. The motors 

 have been greatly reduced in weigJit and spe- 

 cial constructions have been made by Langley 

 and others in which the motor weighs but ten 

 pounds and even less per horse-power, where, 

 not many years ago, weights of sixty pounds 

 were exceptional and an engine weighing forty 

 pounds per horse-power was a marvel. Little 



