128 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXIV. No. 865 



at Fort Apache, Ariz., in 1902, he finds that 

 the three fossils mentioned are abundantly 

 represented in the lower Red Wall there, 

 especially in the limestone series that caps the 

 formation on the mesas east of the North 

 Fork of White Eiver.' Specimens of these 

 species, collected from this region then, are to 

 be found in the writer's collection in the Geo- 

 logical Museum of the University of Indiana. 

 The finding of the similar fossils in the two 

 districts would seem to indicate that the 

 strata concerned are relatively of * the same 

 age. 



Albert B. Reagan 

 Nett Lake, Minn. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 



THE TOERET BOTANICAL CLUB 



The meeting of April 11, 1911, was held at the 

 American Museum of Natural History at 8:15 

 P.M. Dr. E. B. Southwick presided. 



The regular order of business was dispensed 

 with and the announced lecture of the evening on 

 "Poisonous Mushrooms," by Dr. W. A. Murrill, 

 was then presented. The lecture was illustrated 

 with many lantern slides. An abstract of the 

 lecture prepared by the speaker follows. A more 

 complete discussion of the subject by Dr. Murrill 

 may be found in the November number of My- 

 cologia for 1910. 



"Considering its importance, it is remarkable 

 how little is really known about this subject, most 

 of the literature centering about two species, 

 Amanita musoaria and Amanita phalloides, which 

 have been the chief causes of death from mush- 

 room eating the world over. 



' ' As the use of mushrooms in this country for 

 food becomes more general, the practical impor- 

 tance of this subject wiU be vastly increased, and 

 it may be possible to discover perfect antidotes or 

 methods of treatment which will largely overcome 

 the effects of deadly species. This would be a 

 great boon even at the present time, and there will 

 always be children and ignorant persons to rescue 

 from the results of their mistakes. Another very 

 interesting field, both theoretical and practical in 

 its scope, is the use of these poisons in minute 

 quantities as medicines, as has been done with so 



" Beagan, Albert B., ' ' Geology of the Fort 

 Apache Eegion in Arizona," American Geologist, 

 Vol. XXXII., pp. 265-308. 



many of the substances extracted from poisonous 

 species of flowering plants, and even from the 

 rattlesnakes and other animals. Thus far, only 

 one of them, the alkaloid muscarine, has been so 

 used. 



' ' The poisons found in flowering plants belong 

 chiefly to two classes of substances, known as al- 

 kaloids and glucosides. The former are rather 

 stable and well-known bases, such as aconitine 

 from aconite, atropine from belladonna, nicotine 

 from tobacco and morphine from the poppy plant. 

 Glucosides, on the other hand, are sugar deriva- 

 tives of complex, unstable, and often unknown 

 composition, such as the active poisons in digitalis, 

 hellebore, wistaria and several other plants. 



' ' The more important poisons of mushrooms 

 also belong to two similar classes, one represented 

 by the alkaloid muscarine, so evident m Amanita 

 muscaria, and the other by the deadly principle 

 in Amanita phalloides, which is known mainly 

 through its effects. Besides these, there are vari- 

 ous minor poisons, usually manifesting themselves 

 to the taste or smell, that cause local irritation 

 and more or less derangement of the system, de- 

 pending upon the health and peculiarities of the 

 individual. 



"The principal species of poisonous fungi were 

 illustrated by colored lantern slides, the series con- 

 taining Amanita cothurnata Atk., Amanita mus- 

 caria L., Amanita phalloides Fries, Amanita stro- 

 biliformis Vittad., Clitocyhe illudens Schw., Ino- 

 cyie infide Peck, Fanus stypticus Fries, Huss 

 emetica Fries, and several other poisonous species 

 of interest." 



The meeting of April 26, 1911, was held in the 

 museum building of the New York Botanical Gar- 

 den at 3:30 p.m. Vice-president Barnhart pre- 

 sided. 



The first number on the announced scientific 

 program was a paper, on "Fern Collecting in 

 Cuba," by Mrs. N. L. Britton. This paper is 

 published in full in the American Fern Journal, 

 Vol. I., p. 75. 



The next number was a discussion of "Fern 

 Venation," by Miss Margaret Slossen. A more 

 complete discussion of the subject by Miss Slossen 

 may be found in her book ' ' How Ferns Grow. ' ' 



The meeting then adjourned to the Fern House 

 of the New York Botanical Garden under the 

 guidance of Mrs. N. L. Britton for a further study 

 of ferns. 



B. O. Dodge, 

 Secretary 



