854 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXIII. No. 596. 



a picnic of it, boarding themselves, while stiU 

 others have brought their tents and ' camped 

 out.' It is already arranged that eight to ten 

 advanced students in botany are to spend the 

 coming summer at the laboratory, giving their 

 time chiefly to the study of ecological prob- 

 lems. 



During these seven seasons Dr. Clements has 

 carried on his own investigations upon those 

 ecological problems which present themselves 

 in mountain regions, and with these he has 

 joined a critical study of the elements of the 

 Colorado forest vegetation. Formal instruc- 

 tion was given during two summers, but for 

 the last few years instruction has been quite 

 informal, and for the most part to graduate 

 college students. Three candidates for the 

 doctor's degree in the University of Nebraska 

 have done the greater part of their field work 

 at this laboratory. 



The published results of the laboratory 

 include the following titles by Dr. F. E. 

 Clements : ' Herbaria Formationvmi Colora- 

 densium,' 1902 ; ' Nova Ascomycetum Genera 

 Speciesque,' 1902 ; ' Development and Struc- 

 ture of Vegetation,' 1904; 'Formation and 

 Succession Herbaria,' 1905 ; ' Research Meth- 

 ods in Ecology,' 1905 ; ' Cryptogamae Forma- 

 tionum Coloradensium,' 1906 ; ' Novae Fun- 

 gorum Species Generaque,' 1906 (in press). 

 And the following by others : ' The Relation 

 of Leaf Structure to Physical Factors,' Dr. 

 E. S. Clements, 1905; 'The Movements of 

 Petals,' Dr. E. P. Hensel, 1905; 'A Study of 

 the Vegetation of the Mesa Region East of 

 Pikes Peak,' Dr. H. L. Shantz, 1906. 



The principal problems which are now 

 under investigation are the following: 



1. The Causes for the Dwarfing of Alpine 

 Plants. — It has already been determined by 

 means of simultaneous readings of light and 

 humidity at three different altitudes that light 

 is not the cause of alpine dwarfing, as com- 

 monly supposed, and that this is probably due 

 to differences in humidity. It is hoped to 

 publish the results in detail after the work of 

 the coming summer. 



2. The Origin of Mutants in the Fireweed, 

 Chamaenerium angu^tifolium. — This is a 

 problem in experimental evolution to deter- 



mine whether the many forms of this species 

 arise by variation or mutation. 



3. Studies in Experimental Evolution. — The 

 method used here is essentially new. Plastic 

 and stable species are moved from their orig- 

 inal homes to areas of very different char- 

 acter. The physical conditions of both homes 

 are carefully measured, and the resulting 

 modifications of the plant followed in detail. 

 This work should throw light upon how new 

 forms originate, and also upon the relative 

 importance of adaptation, mutation and varia- 

 tion in the origin of new forms. 



4. The Vegetation of Colorado. — The study 

 of thes development and structure of Colorado 

 vegetation was begun in 1896, and has been 

 carried on continuously since 1899. It is 

 hoped to bring the study to completion after 

 the summer of 1907, and then to publish the 

 results as soon as possible. 



The record of the work of this unendowed 

 laboratory, which has not even been subsidized 

 by any institution, is certainly most credit- 

 able, and it shows that work of the highest 

 order may be done with an inexpensive plant, 

 and the expenditure of very moderate sums of 

 money. That more might be accomplished 

 with some greater expenditure for apparatus, 

 and an enlargement of the building, is no 

 doubt true, and desirable, and will certainly 

 be realized some day. In the meantime, the 

 economical plan and successful management 

 of this laboratory are to be commended, and 

 should encourage other botanists to like un- 

 dertakings in similarly interesting regions. 



Charles E. Bessey. 

 The University of Nebbaska. 



ROYAL SOCIETY CONVERSAZIONE.^ 

 The fijst of the two annual conversaziones 

 of the Royal Society, that confined to men, 

 was held on May 9 in the society's rooms in 

 Burlington House. Guests were received by 

 the president. Lord Rayleigh, CM., with 

 whom were the treasurer, Mr. A. B. Kempe, 

 and the secretary. Professor J. Larmor. 



The exhibits were very numerous, too nu- 

 merous, indeed, to notice in detail. To a 



' The London Times. 



