Mat 11, 1906.] 



SCIENCE. 



745 



was by Dr. P. A. Eydberg, entitled ' Botan- 

 izing in Utali.' 



Tlie substance of this paper appeared in 

 the Journal of the New York Botanical Gar- 

 den, 6: 158. 1905. 



Many herbarium specimens were passed, 

 illustrative of the paper. 



The last paper was by Professor E. S. 

 Burgess, on ' Biotian Asters.' 



This paper was an informal discussion of 

 the Biotian section of the genus Aster, ac- 

 companying the publication at this time of 

 the author's monograph on the Biotian Asters 

 (constituting Vol. 13 of the Torrey Club's 

 Memoirs) with description and figures of 84 

 species and 10 subspecies, and with informal 

 description of about 250 less definite forms. 

 The Biotian section of Aster is one of the 

 most difiicult and variable, and seems partic- 

 ularly active in production of new forms, 

 some other sections of Aster being quite stable 

 in comparison. Most of the larger and more 

 conspicuous species, with violet or lavender 

 rays and glandular hair, constitute as a sub- 

 section the Macrophylli, typified by the well- 

 known Aster macroyhyllus L. Specimens 

 illustrating the principal species of this sub- 

 section were exhibited and compared, and the 

 speaker described the results of his method 

 of continued observation on plant-colonies in 

 unchanged natural habitat, with reference 

 especially to the development of variations, 

 and to distinction between certain changes 

 apparently due to environmental conditions 

 and other changes suggesting origin by mu- 

 tation. Many herbarium sheets were shown, 

 illustrating the paper and especially the 

 marked variations in this group of asters. 



The club met at the Museum Building of 

 the New York Botanical Garden, March 28, 

 1906. In the absence of President Eusby, 

 Dr. C. C. Curtis was called to the chair. 



Dr. J. K. Small presented the first paper 

 on the scientific program, on ' Additions to 

 the Flora of Florida.' Specimens of the sur- 

 face soil ^nd subsoil, herbarium and alcoholic 

 specimens, maps and photographs illustrated 

 the paper. 



The second paper was by Dr. J. H. Barn- 



hart, on ' The Dating of Botanical Publica- 

 tions.' 



Dates of issue of publication have always 

 been of more or less interest to bibliographers, 

 but modern biological nomenclature, with 

 priority of publication as one of its funda- 

 mental principles, has emphasized to a marked 

 degree the importance of determining ac- 

 curately the exact time when novelties are 

 placed before the scientific public. 



The novice usually accepts without question 

 the date printed on a title-page. Soon, how- 

 ever, he discovers a book with a clear, definite, 

 unmistakable reference to one bearing a later 

 date — perhaps a year or two, possibly many 

 years. Here, then, he has evidence, amount- 

 ing to convincing proof, that at least one of 

 the books he has been consulting is incorrectly 

 dated; but he may find it difficult to deter- 

 mine which is wrong, and still more difficult 

 to replace the erroneous date by the correct 

 one. Few, even of experienced botanists, real- 

 ize what a large percentage of the literature of 

 our science is labeled with misleading dates. 



The purpose of the paper was to call atten- 

 tion to some of the causes of this state of 

 affairs, to furnish examples of various classes 

 of erroneous dating, and to mention certain 

 precautions the observance of which will re- 

 duce the percentage of errors in the citation 

 of dates. Many publications were shown to 

 illustrate the paper. C. Stuart Gager, • 

 Secretary. 



THE MICHIGAN ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. 



The annual meeting of the Michigan Or- 

 nithological Club was held in conjunction with 

 the annual meeting of the Section of Zoology 

 of the Michigan Academy of Science in the 

 Museum lecture room, Ann Arbor, on Friday, 

 March 30, 1906. 



The meeting was called to order by Chas. 

 C. Adams, vice-president of the section of 

 zoology. The following were the papers pre- 

 sented dealing with ornithology: 



Frank J. Phiixips : ' Bird Dissemination of 

 Juniperus.' 



Max M. Peet: 'An Ecological Study of the 

 Birds of Ypsilanti Bayou.' 



