February 5, 1897.] 



SCIENCE. 



237 



species differed fundamentally in the manner of 

 their growth. 



Specimens of two poisonous plants were ex- 

 hibited by V. K. Chesnut. The first was a new 

 species of Water-Hemlock {Cicuta vagans 

 Oreene), the rhizome of which is poisoning 

 •cattle in Oregon and Washington. The second 

 was the oleander or Laurier Rose (Nerium ole- 

 ander L.). This plant was recently mistaken at 

 Jesus Maria, Chihuahua, Mexico, for the moun- 

 tain, or rose, laurel (Kalmia latifolia L.). An ex- 

 tract was made from the leaves, which was added 

 to honey and fed to some bees at that place. They 

 were not poisoned by it, but the honey deposited 

 by them proved to be very deleterious to two 

 persons who ate from it. The mistake in the 

 identity of the species was revealed by speci- - 

 mens obtained from the experimenter. 



Under the title 'Unity or Plurality of Type 

 Specimens in Paleontology,' Mr. David White 

 called attention to the difference of opinion and 

 usage between botanists or zoologists and pa- 

 leontologists, particularly paleobotanists, re- 

 specting the application of the word 'Type,' 

 such differences arising largely from the disper- 

 sion of the parts of plants and the conditions of 

 preservation. Owing to the conditions of fos- 

 silization, most species of fossil plants are origi- 

 nally based on several specimens, each of which 

 contributes characters not seen in the others. 

 Such are coordinate or ' Co-types. ' For speci- 

 mens, such as fruits, leaves, preserved tissue, 

 etc., serving as the source of additional specific 

 characters, subsequently described or illus- 

 trated, the name ' Supplementary Type, ' was 

 advocated. Mr. White urged that any paleonto- 

 logical specimen that has furnished new specific 

 characters for incorporation in the diagnosis, or 

 for illustration, is thereby removed from the level 

 of other specimens in the collection, and there- 

 fore deserves an appropriate designation, ac- 

 cording to circumstances. Preferring for such 

 purpose some qualification of the word ' Type,' 

 he tentatively suggested for certain presented 

 cases the terms 'Subsidiary Type,' 'Continental 

 type,' etc. 



Mr. White also exhibited specimens of 'A New 

 Lycopodineous Cone from the Coal Measures of 

 Missouri,' at Clinton, together with its bracts, 

 presented to the National Museum by Dr. J. H. 



Britts. These illustrated his previous remarks, 

 the former belonging to the genus Lepidostrobus, 

 the latter of the genus Lepidophyllum. 



Mr. Edward L. Greene spoke of the ' Develop- 

 ment of the Idea of a Genus,' as shown in the 

 works of the earlier herbalists and botanists. 



Mr. M. A. Carleton presented a paper on the 

 ' Ontogenetic Separation of Puccinea graminis 

 Avense from P. graminis Tritici.' 



The forms of Puccinia graminis, or stem rust, 

 on wheat is quite distinct from the one occurring 

 on oats, though until recently they have been 

 considered identical. The distinction is founded 

 mainly upon this behavior in artificial inocu- 

 lations, though there are probably other rea- 

 ■sons for separating them. The form on oats 

 can not be transferred to any other cereal. The 

 form on wheat is readily transferred to barley, 

 and probably occurs on rye, and, with still less 

 certainty, on oats. In inoculation experiments 

 the form Avense infects 21 species of Graminae 

 in 18 genera. Similar experiments with the 

 form Tritici are not yet completed. Eriksson 

 has obtained like results, as a rule, in Sweden. 

 F. A. LtrcAS, Secretary. 



ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON, 

 JANUARY 7, 1897. 



Mr. Ashmead exhibited an agamous female 

 of Belenocnema treatse Mayr, The true sexual 

 generation consists of winged males and females 

 issuing from galls on the roots of live oak, while 

 the agamous generation consists of subapterous 

 females issuing from a gall which occurs on the 

 leaves. Mr. Ashmead has connected the two 

 galls simply from a study of structural charac- 

 ters of the adult insects. 



Professor J. B. Smith, a corresponding mem- 

 ber, gave a brief review of a classification of 

 the orders of insects, as a result of a series of 

 studies made during the past few years. He 

 proposes to divide the true ' Insecta ' primarily 

 into two series upon the character of the 

 mouth-parts, making one a suctorial type to 

 contain the orders Thysanura and Khyngota. 

 All the others are mandibulate in some stage 

 of their existence. These mandibulata he 

 divides into three other series, according to the 

 development of the prothorax. In one case 

 the prothorax is entirely free in the adult, and 



