November 18, 1898.] 



SCIENCE. 



703 



square miles of territory. From its lati- 

 tude the region is seen at once to be dis- 

 tinctly tropical. On our own continent its 

 position is equivalent to the region stretch- 

 ing from northern Nicaragua to southern 

 Texas. In this region Dr. Lisboa found 

 278 species of grasses, a very good number 

 when we consider that this is a list made 

 in India, and a preliminary list at that. 



The general nature of this grass flora 

 may be seen from the followiug synopsis of 

 the tribes : 



Panicece, 13 genera, 71 species. 



TristeginecB, 1 genus, 13 " 



Oryzece, 2 genera, 2 " 



ZoysiecB, 5 " 5 " 



Andropogonece, 21 " 109 " 



May decs, 3 " 4 " 



Agrostidece, 6 " 14 " 



It is thus seen that all of the generally 

 recognized tribes excepting the Phalaridese 

 are represented. The largest genera ai-e 

 Panieum, with 30 species; Andropogon, with 

 46; Ischcemum, 19, and Eragrostis, 17. There 

 is a notable absence of certain of our best 

 known genera, e. g., Agrostis, Bouteloua, Poa, 

 Bromus, Agropyron and JElymns. On the 

 other hand, in addition to those already 

 mentioned, there are species of many of our 

 common genera, e. g.,Aristida,Avena, Chloris, 

 Hordeum, Paspalum, Setaria, Sporobohis, etc. 

 Some of the Indian species have come to us 

 as weeds or cultivated plants, e. g., Panieum, 

 (Syntherisma) sanguinale, P. crus-galli, P. 

 miliaceum, Setaria {Ixophorus) glauca, S. (/.) 

 verticillata, Polypogon monspeliensis, Sporobohis 

 indicus, Avena fatua, Cynodon {Capriola) dae- 

 tylon, Eleusine {Leptochloa) mucronata, Era- 

 grostis major, E. minor, E. pilosa. Two spe- 

 cies, viz., Panieum proliferum and Fhragmites 



communis, which occur in India, appear to 

 be indigenous to North America also. 



It is unfortunate that but 400 copies of 

 this useful list were ordered to be printed 

 by the Bombay government. 



Chaeles E. Bessey. 

 The Univbksity of Nebbaska, 

 Lincoln, Nebe. 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. 



Me. Charles A. Schott, Chief of the Com- 

 putation Division of the Coast and Geodetic 

 Survey, has been awarded the Wilde Prize by 

 the French Academy, which is conferred on the 

 one judged the most worthy from among those 

 who make discoveries in or write works on 

 astronomy, chemistry, geology, physics or me- 

 chanics. The award to BIr. Schott is supposed 

 to be based on his work on terrestrial magnet- 

 ism. 



A COUESE of public lectures will be given at 

 Columbia University, between December 5tli 

 and 16th, on every afternoon except Saturday 

 and Sunday, by Professor William K. Brooks, 

 head of the department of zoology at Johns 

 Hopkins University. The lectures are to be on 

 'The Foundations of Zoology,' and while 

 popular iu form will present the results of the 

 latest scientific generalizations, together with 

 some account of the men by whom the results 

 in this branch of science have been obtained. 

 The lectures will be given late in the afternoon 

 at Schermerhoru Hall. 



The U. S. Fish Commission Steamer Fish 

 Hawk is working, under the direction of Pro- 

 fessor Hermon C. Bumpus, in Narragansett Bay 

 and the waters around Block Island. Several 

 questions connected with the breeding habits 

 and distribution of the star fish, and inciden- 

 tally other problems connected with the marine 

 fauna, are receiving considerable attention. 

 Since the boat has returned from Cuba she has 

 been thoroughly repaired, and is now fully 

 equipped with her customary apparatus for 

 work along the shore line. Lieutenant Com- 

 mander Richard G. Davenport, of the U. S. 

 Navy, is the commanding officer. 



At a meeting of the Board of Ordnanc? and 



