438 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLIII. No. 1108 



is not grown in large quantities, it is very widely 

 scattered; enough so that the disease during the 

 past season readily spread upon this single spe- 

 cies for miles. The future of the white pine, which 

 has been quite largely depended upon for the for- 

 ests of the northeastern states, is very seriously 

 threatened by this disease, unless efficient efforts 

 are made to control it. The character of this 

 fungus is such that the removal of all wild and 

 cultivated currants and gooseberries from the af- 

 fected areas will stop its further spread in those 

 areas. If the cultivated black currant could be 

 eliminated from the nursery trade so that it would 

 not be sold and its use could gradually be discon- 

 tinued everywhere within the affected states, a 

 great step would be taken toward the control of 

 this disease. But more than this, state officers 

 must have absolute power to destroy diseased pines 

 and currants and gooseberry bushes, in order that 

 unanimous action can be carried out within these 

 affected areas. With this power should also be 

 given the power to declare and enforce quaran- 

 tines against shipments of stock from other states. 

 When compared with minute search which is re- 

 quired in finding gypsy and brown-tail moth nests 

 in southern New England, the search for wild and 

 cultivated currants and gooseberries is compara- 

 tively simple. It also is comparatively easy to 

 carry out when compared with the climbing of 

 trees 75 to 100 feet in height in certain sections of 

 New England for the removal of brown-tail moths ' 

 nests, as is done every year. An efficient fight 

 against this disease even now is not impossible, 

 but it very shortly will be if not started at once. 

 Catha edulis: A Narcotic of the Southern Arabs 



(with specimens) : Paul Popenoe. 



The kat, Arabic qat, shrub is a native of Africa, 

 but much cultivated in Yaman, where its use is in- 

 creasing so that the town of Aden now consumes 

 annually more than 2,000 camel-loads of the leaves 

 and twigs, which are chewed for their stimulating 

 properties. The plant contains small quantities of 

 an alkaloid called katrine, which seems to resemble 

 coeain. It has been introduced into the United 

 States by the Office of Foreign Seed and Plant 

 Introduction, United States Department of Agri- 

 culture, and grows well in the South. The dangers 

 from its use have probably been much exagger- 

 ated. This plant may present commercial possi- 

 bilities as the source of a new beverage to com- 

 pete with tea. 



W. E. S AFFORD, 



Corresponding Secretary 



THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



The 550th regular meeting of the society was 

 held in the Assembly Hall of the Cosmos Club, 

 Saturday, February 12, 1916, called to order at 

 S P.M., by President Hay. 



Fifty persons were present. 



On recommendation of the council Walter P. 

 Taylor, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Berkeley, 

 California, was elected to active membership. 



Under the heading Brief Notes and Exhibition 

 of Specimens, Dr. Howard called attention to the 

 work lately done by Dr. W. V. King, of the Bureau 

 of Entomology, in demonstrating that Anopheles 

 punctipennis was a carrier of both tertian and 

 estivo-autumnal malaria parasites. He exhibited 

 lantern slides of this mosquito and photo-micro- 

 graphs of the stages of the malaria organism in 

 this hitherto supposedly harmless species of mos- 

 quito. 



Under this same heading W. L. McAtee gave 

 some of his recent observations on the vegetation 

 in Virginia in the region south of Washington. 



The first paper of the regular program was by 

 Henry Talbott: "Nepigon." Mr. Talbott gave an 

 entertaining account of a trip made by himself 

 and others to Lake Nepigon. The fishes of the 

 lake and neighboring region were especially dwelt 

 on. Mr. Talbott 's paper was discussed by Dr. 

 Howard. 



The second and last paper of the regular pro- 

 gram was by Vernon Bailey, "G-ame and Other 

 Mammals of the Yellowstone Park Eegion. " Mr. 

 Bailey gave a short outline of his itinerary on a re- 

 cent trip through the Yellowstone Park and the 

 neighboring region, particularly to the south. 

 The ground covered was mainly off the tourist 

 track. The speaker described the beauties of the 

 park from the viewpoint of the lover of wild life; 

 he called particular attention to the loss of fear of 

 men by wild life when protected from guns, dogs 

 and cats; he called to notice the thriving condition 

 of herds of ruminants in the park and the success- 

 ful efforts now made to supply hay to the needy in 

 winter, and to keep the antelope from wandering 

 out of the park. Mr. Bailey's communication was 

 profusely illustrated with lantern slide views of 

 the park and its wild life, in especial, the white- 

 tailed deer, mule deer, elk, moose (recently de- 

 scribed as Alces shirasi), antelope, bison, some of 

 the smaller mammals, and Canada geese. 



M. W. Lton, Je., 

 Recording Secretary 



