XOVEMBKR 13. 1903.] 



SCIENCE. 



03 1 



many endemic species. Tree ferns begin nt 

 1,500 feet elevation, but they are much more 

 abundant at 3,500 feet, the highest point 

 reached by the expedition. There are no 

 roads in the interior, only uneared for bridle 

 trails, and there are absolutely no bridges. 

 One stream was forded sixteen times in a 

 distance of twelve miles. A thousand num- 

 bers of herbarium material were secured be- 

 side^? living plants and wood specimens. 



Dr. Howe spoke of two months spent in 

 Porto Kico collecting marine alg». He found 

 the species fairly numerous, but on the whole 

 the marine vegetation was less striking and 

 luxuriant than on some of the Florida keys. 

 He visited the north, west and south sides of 

 the island, but found less difference in their 

 algal flora than he had expected. Nine hun- 

 dred numbers were taken, but so far most of 

 the material is unstudied. 



Dr. Murrill reported on his visits to various 

 European herbaria for the purpose of study- 

 ing types of the species of the Polyporaeea'. 

 Upsala, Berlin, Kew and Paris were visited 

 and some time was spent in field work with 

 Bresadola in the mountains of the Tyrol. In- 

 teresting comments were made on the different 

 herbaria and the men who made or are now 

 working with them. 



Professor Underwood called attention to the 

 fact that the different expeditions from the 

 botanical garden during the past year had 

 brought back fully 10,000 numbers of her- 

 barium material from the West Indies. 



Dr. Britton spoke of the recent death, after 

 a long and painful illness, of Mr. Cornelius 

 Van Brunt, who was one of the oldest mem- 

 bers of the clul). Ilis work in the photo- 

 graphing of plants was unique, and he leaves 

 a collection of over 10,000 studies on glass. 

 He had done much in devising special lenses 

 and ap)>liances for this special work and his 

 knowledge of photographic technique was re- 

 markable. His earlier studies were with the 

 diatoms, but failing e.yesight prevented his 

 work with the microscope and he turned to 

 photography instead. Data are being gathered 

 for a mope extended notice of his life. 



F. S. Earle, 

 Secretary. 



NEW yOKK .\CADEMY OF SCIENCES. 

 SECTION OF GEOLOGY AND MI.VERALOQY. 



The Section met in the large lecture hall 

 of the American Museum of Natural History 

 on Monday evening, October 19. Three hun- 

 dred and fifty-two members and friends were 

 present. The following papers had been pre- 

 sented by Dr. George F. Kunz for reading 

 by title: 



Bismuth (Native) and Bismile from San 

 Bernardino County, Calif. 



Calif ornite {Vesuvianite), a New Ornamental 

 Stones from Siskiyou County, Calif. 



The meeting was devoted mainly to a paper 

 by Dr. E. O. Hovey entitled ' Observations 

 on the 1902-1903 Eruptions of Mt. Pele. 

 Martinique.' In this paper or lecture the 

 author sketched the principal events in the 

 volcanic history of the island during the past 

 year and a half. He described the phenom- 

 ena of the eruptions, the mud-torrents and 

 mud-flows, the attendant and subsequent 

 aqueous erosion on the slopes of the mountain, 

 the rise and vicissitudes of the new cone of 

 eruption and its wonderful spine or obelisk. 

 The lecture was illustrated with about ninety- 

 five lantern slides from negatives taken by the 

 author on the two expeditions which he has 

 made to Martinique for the American Mu- 

 seum of Natural History since the eruptions 

 began. . Edmund Otis Hovey, 



Secretary. 



DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE. 

 ANTEDATED PUBLIC.\TIONS. 



During recent years attention has been 

 called so strongly to the evil of antedated 

 l)apers published by museums and scientific 

 societies that in general great care has been 

 taken of late to have all brochures emanating 

 from such sources bear the correct date of 

 issue. It is hence all the more surprising to 

 find one American institution of high stand- 

 ing still apparently careless or indifferent in 

 the matter. We believe, however, that the im- 

 jiropriety about to be mentioned is due to 

 either inadvertence or lack of appreciation of 



