.TVXE 7, 1S95.] 



SCIENCE. 



G39 



sermon on flowersi, ami other designated an- 

 nual bequests of the founder of tlie Garden, 

 the late Henry Shaw; 821,334.8.5 went for 

 taxes, and the remainder for office and other 

 expenses incident to the administration of 

 the trust. The report shows an invested or 

 cash reserve of 835,40.5.03. 



From the report of the Director it ap- 

 peal's that the herbarium was increased by 

 the addition of 9,307 sheets of specimens, 

 making a total of 231,-527 sheets ; and 752 

 books and 1,105 pamphlets were added to 

 the library, making a total of 7,631 books 

 and 9,822 pamphlets. Attention is called to 

 the establishment of a ' Henry Shaw medal 

 for the introduction of a valuable plant,' 

 open to competition in any line of decora- 

 tive horticulture at the annual flower show 

 held in St. Louis, and to the provision now 

 made for receiving additional jiuijils in gar- 

 dening at the nominal charge of 825 per 

 j'ear for tuition. 



The scientific papers, which constitute the 

 bulk of the volume, consist of a revision of 

 North American species of Sagittaria and 

 Lophotocarpus, by Jared G. Smith, with 

 habit and detail illustrations of all of the 

 species ; a study of Leitueria Floridana, by 

 William Trelease, illustrated by 15 plates 

 showing the structure of this curious tree, 

 the wood of which has a specific gravity of 

 only 0.207, which is much lower than that 

 of any other described wood, or even cork 

 (0.240); studies of the dissemination and 

 leaf reflexion of Yucca aloifolia, made in 

 Florida, by Herbert J. Webber, and illu- 

 strated by three plates ; notes and obseiwa- 

 tions on new or little known species, by 

 Jared G. Smith, accompanied bj' nine plates, 

 and describing six new species from the 

 Southwest ; and notes on the interesting 

 mound flora of Atchison county, Missouri, 

 by B. F. Bush. 



THE liOYAL ASTROXOJirCAL SOCIETY. 



At the last meeting much of tlie interest 



of the evening centered in a comparison of 

 two photographs of a well-known nebula — 

 that near 15 Monocerotis — the one by the 

 American astronomer. Professor E. E. Bar- 

 nard, with a six-inch portrait lens, the other 

 by Dr. Roberts, of Crowborough, with his 

 20-inch reflector. The exposures given and 

 the ratio of aperture to size of image were 

 practically the same in both cases. But the 

 results were verj- diflerent. Dr. Roberts' 

 photograph showed a great amount of very 

 delicate and beautiful detail in the nebula ; 

 Prof. Barnard's, when enlarged to the same 

 scale, was of a much coarser character, but 

 traced the nebula over a wider area. Dr. 

 Roberts argued strongly against the reality 

 of these faint extensions of the nebula 

 sho'ma in Professor Barnard's photograph, 

 but the president showed, by a detailed com- 

 parison of the two photographs projected 

 on the screen, that the contention was un- 

 founded, and that the smaller instrument, 

 though inferior to the larger for the exhibi- 

 tion of minute detail, had decidedlj' the 

 advantage in the detection of faint nebu- 

 lous masses. Another photograph by Dr. 

 Roberts of the well-known crab nebula in 

 Taurus also gave rise to some discussion, as 

 it difiered fi-om the drawing made of the 

 nebula by the late Lord Rosse in 1844. Mr. 

 Chambers, however, pointed out that later 

 visual observations had thrown doubt on 

 the reality of some of the filaments shown 

 in the sketch referred to. A paper from 

 Professor Barnard gave a most convincing 

 proof of variation having occurred in a 

 nebula, that known as Hind's, in Taurus. 

 Mr. Newall presented some recent observa- 

 tions of Phobos, the inner satellite of Mars, 

 showing that the orbit of the satellite was 

 distinctly elliptical, and the ephemeris some 

 ten minutes in error. Mr. Stanley Wil- 

 liams contributed a verj' remarkable paper 

 showing that spots in diflerent longitudes 

 of Saturn had different rotation periods. 

 Mr. Wilson, of West Meath, described his 



