814 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXI. No. 804 



J. W. England, C. W. Edmunds, E. H. Bart- 

 ley, G. W. Diekman, P. Marvel, W. Haines, 

 W. G. Alpers, L. C. Hopp, Albert Plant. 



Dr. J. N. Rose, associate curator in the 

 Division of Plants, TJ. S. National Museum, 

 accompanied by P. S. Standley and Paul G. 

 Eussell, of his staff, has just returned from 

 a collecting trip through southwestern United 

 States and western Mexico. It has resulted 

 in the adding of more than ten thousand 

 specimens forming some three thousand num- 

 bers to the U. S. Herbarium. Dr. Rose's field 

 work began at Big Springs, Texas, and ex- 

 tended as far west as Tucson, Arizona, whence 

 he followed the West Coast Route of the 

 Southern Pacific Railroad as far south as 

 Acaponeta in Tepic. The collection includes 

 various fiber, rubber and economic plants as 

 well as numerous seeds of useful and orna- 

 mental vines and shrubs. Among the speci- 

 mens obtained that were especially interest- 

 ing, is a curious traveler's vine, which is a 

 plant that furnishes an abundance of drink- 

 ing water; a giant morning-glory forming a 

 tree two feet in diameter; a strangling fig 

 which is able to kill the largest tree in the 

 forest; an ear-pod tree which has a fruit 

 resembling the human ear — whence its name; 

 a gourd tree which bears large fruit along its 

 trunk; a silk-cotton tree covered with great 

 balls of snow-white cotton; and a monkey 

 rattlebox tree which is covered with large 

 mallow-like fruit which explodes with a loud 

 noise. Some rare palms, century plants and 

 cacti that were collected were sent to Wash- 

 ington and are now on exhibition in one of 

 the greenhouses of the Department of Agri- 

 culture. This expedition was conducted by 

 the IT. S. National Museum in association 

 with the New York Botanical Garden and 

 the Desert Laboratory of the Carnegie Insti- 

 tution of Washington. 



Mrs. Mary M. Emery, of Cincinnati, O., 

 has purchased a tract of wooded land in a 

 residence district and has placed it under the 

 charge of H. M. Benedict, associate professor 

 of biology in the University of Cincinnati, for 

 the purpose of establishing a " city bird 

 reserve." The land will be fenced with a cat- 



proof fence, water, food and nesting materials 

 wiU be provided and a test made of the possi- 

 bility of bringing back the native birds to the 

 city. It is hoped that the plan will prove so 

 successful as to be copied in other communi- 

 ties. Now that the birds in the fields are 

 protected by law and progress is being made 

 in the establishment of breeding reserves for 

 sea birds, the time seems ripe for the inaugu- 

 ration of a definite campaign to increase the 

 bird life of our towns and cities. This first 

 experimental reserve wiU be known as the 

 " Mary Emery City Bird Reserve." Informa- 

 tion regarding the details of fence construc- 

 tion, suitable locations, food and care, wiU be 

 gladly given by the biological department of 

 the University of Cincinnati to any who may 

 contemplate the establishment of a " city bird 

 reserve " in their own community. 



The British Geographical Journal states 

 that an expedition organized by Mr. Douglas 

 Carruthers, in conjunction with Mr. J. H. 

 Miller and Mr. M. P. Price, who are financing 

 it, will leave England at the end of March for 

 northwestern Mongolia. The chief object of 

 the expedition is to explore zoologically, bot- 

 anieally, and, as far as possible, geographic- 

 ally, the basin of the upper Tenesei River. 

 The journey out will be made through Russia 

 and Siberia to Krasnoyarsk, and thence up 

 the Yenesei to Minusinsk. Here the expedi- 

 tion will fit out, and, leaving Russian terri- 

 tory, pass over into Chinese Mongolia. The 

 upper Yenesei and its tributaries are almost 

 completely surrounded by high mountain 

 ranges, which form a secluded basin. In this 

 basin dwells a curious tribe, the Sayotes, who 

 appear to be confined to this restricted area. 

 On the completion of the work in the actual 

 basin of the upper Yenesei, the expedition will 

 pass through Dzungaria to Kulja, which will 

 be reached some time in November. After 

 this Mr. Carruthers and Mr. Miller hope to 

 winter in the Tarim basin, and then to con- 

 tinue their explorations in the spring in the 

 Chinese provinces of Kansu and Alashan. 

 That there is much of interest to record about 

 the tribes of this region is shown by the fact 

 that it includes the original homes of the 



