726 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. I. No. 2S. 



Brougn., from the Eocene of the Paris 

 Basin. He exhibited figures of that species 

 to show this resemblance. 



The genus Caiilinites was first figured by 

 Desmarest, who supposed it to be a polyp 

 and named it Amphitoites parisiensis in Hov. 

 Bull, de Sci., Societe Philomathique, tom. II., 

 pi. 2. This figure was reproduced by Cu- 

 vier and Alex. Brongniart in Essai sur 

 la G-eographie Mineralogique des Environs 

 de Paris, pi. II., figs. 10 A. and 10 B., 1811, 

 and has been repeated in all later editions. 

 A large number of very fine specimens were 

 collected subsequently, and Adolphe Brong- 

 niart had no doubt but that it represented 

 the impression of a plant. In his ' Tableau,' 

 1849, p. 86, he placed it under a plant genus 

 which he renamed CauUnites, from the genus 

 Caulinia, of de Candolle, a name antedated 

 by Posidonia, Kon., an aquatic plant related 

 to the river-weeds, Potamogeton, and sea 

 wracks, Zostera, in the Naiadacece. When 

 Watelet, in 1866, undertook the elaboration 

 of all the material in the Paris Museum 

 from the Eocene of the Paris Basin he de- 

 voted several plates to illustrating this and 

 other species of the same genus. 



Prof. Ward stated that when he saw the 

 rhizomes he was forcibly struck with their 

 resemblance to the figures of Desmarest and 

 Watelet. A comparison of them showed 

 that in many respects they were not only 

 similar but practically identical, although 

 among Watelet's figures are some which 

 deviate considerably from this type. A 

 large number of similar forms have been 

 found in various deposits, chiefly Tertiaiy, 

 throughout the world, and more than 50 

 species of Caidinites have been named, many 

 of which will, of course, prove to be syno- 

 nyms, while others depart so widely from 

 the normal type that they will require to be 

 excluded. 



Prof. Ward said further that in 1887, 

 Prof. Lesquereux described a species col- 

 lected by Mr. Geo. F. Becker at Clear Lake, 



Cal., imder the name of C. Beckeri. Proc. 

 U. S. Nat. Mus. Vol. X., p. 36, pi. I, fig. 3, 

 pi. II, figs. 1-4. Mr. Becker stated that he 

 had supposed these rhizomes to belong to 

 the common Tule, Phragmites phragmitea, 

 (L.) Karst., the deposit being a very recent 

 one in the bed of a dried-up pond where 

 the Tule was supposed to have grown as it 

 now grows in those regions. 



Prof. Ward remarked in conclusion that 

 he had found other, similar, rhizomes 

 washed up along the Potomac, but was un- 

 able to say to what plant they belonged, 

 but enough is now known to make it certain 

 that a considerable number of grasses, and 

 perhaps rushes and other monocotyledonous 

 plants, possess rhizomes with short joints re- 

 sembling or practically identical with those 

 of the genus Caidinites. 



The Society then adjourned until October. 

 F. A. Lucas, Secretary. 



ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. 



The 109th meeting was held June 6. Mr. 

 Wm. H. Ashmead read a paper on the dis- 

 covery of Elasmosoma Euthe in America. 

 This remarkable monotj'pical Microgas- 

 terine genus, the type species of which 

 (£. herolinense') ■ was collected in Europe 

 many years ago in company ^^^th an ant, 

 is supposed to be parasitic upon ants. Mr. 

 Ashmead has found three species in America, 

 one collected at Washington in 1889 by E. 

 A. Schwarz; one at Fort Collins, Col., by 

 C. F. Baker, and the third near Washing- 

 ton by Th. Pergande. The last species was 

 found fiying about the nest of Cainponotu» 

 melleus, and the genus may be parasitic 

 either upon ants or upon myrmecophilous 

 beetles. 



A paper by F. M. Webster entitled ' Notes 

 on the Distribution of some Injurious In- 

 sects,' was read by the corresponding secre- 

 tary. In this paper Prof. Webster criticised 

 some of the details brought out by Mr. 

 Howard in his paper on the geographical 



