284 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. V. No. 111. 



following Dr. Brinton's and Dr. Boas' papers, 

 as to the validity of the theory of the psychic 

 unity of man in accounting for details of simi- 

 larities in the mythologies of widely separated 

 peoples. 



Livingston Faeband, 

 Secretary of Sub-Section. 



TOEEEY BOTANICAL CLUB, TUESDAY, JANUAEY 

 12, 1897. 



This was the annual meeting. Six new ac- 

 tive and two corresponding members were 

 elected. Resolutions of sorrow were adopted 

 regarding the death of Mr. William H. 

 Rudkin, one of the oldest members, the dis- 

 coverer of the hybrid oak Quercus Budkini. 

 Annual reports were presented by the standing 

 committees and officers. It was resolved to 

 print a list of the desiderata of the herbarium 

 of plants growing within 100 miles of the city. 

 The Treasurer reported a cash balance of $56.89 

 in the regular fund and $514. 14 in the Buchanan 

 fund. 



The Recording Secretary, Dr. Rusby, re- 

 ported an average attendance of 31 persons at 

 the 15 meetings held during the year, two 

 deaths, a net gain in active membership of 28, 

 a present active membership of 219, correspond- 

 ing membership 150, honorary membership 4, 

 scientific papers presented 37, of which 22 had 

 been published. Several hundred new species 

 and a number of new genera had been commu- 

 nicated, and there had been a marked increase 

 in the attention given to anatomical and crypto- 

 gamic subjects. 



The editor reported that Vol. 23 of the Bul- 

 letin had aggregated 548 pages and 34 full-page 

 plates, and that two numbers of the Memoirs, 

 aggregating 206 pages, had been issued. There 

 was a cash balance from publications of $48.09 

 in addition to the balance already reported by 

 the Treasurer. 



The officers for 1897 were elected as follows : 

 President, Addison Brown ; Vice-Presidents, 

 T. H. Allen, H. H. Rusby ; Treasurer, Henry 

 Ogden ; Recording Secretary, Edward S. Bur- 

 gess ; Corresponding Secretary, John K. Small ; 

 Editor, N. L. Britton ; Associate Editors, Emily 

 L. Gregory, Arthur HoUick, Anna M. Vail, B. 

 D. Halsted, Lucien M. Underwood; Curator, 



Helen M. Ingersoll ; Librarian, William E. 

 Wheelock. 



The scientific programme of the evening was 

 then taken up as follows : 



By Mr. A. J. Grout, ' Notes on Some 

 American Brachythecia.' 



By Dr. N. L. Britton, Linum Virginianum 

 and its Relatives.' 



Mr. Grout compared the principles of clas- 

 sification employed by the two prominent 

 bryologists, Schimper and Lindberg, and 

 stated his reasons for preferring those of the 

 latter to those of the former. He then ex- 

 hibited and remarked upon four American spe- 

 cies of Brachythecium and expressed the opinion 

 that they represent a genus distinct from 

 Brachythecium. The paper will be published 

 in full in the Bulletin. 



Dr. Britton illustrated the leading distin- 

 guishing characteristics between the species of 

 Linum, of the Virginianum group, and dwelt 

 particularly upon the claims to specific rank of 

 L. Virginianum medium, Walter. 



Edward S. Buegess, 



Secretary. 



NEW BOOKS. 



A Dictionary of Birds. Alfeed Newton, as- 

 sisted by Hans Gadov?. With contributions 

 from RiCHAKD Lydekkee, Chaeles S. Roy 

 and RoBEET W. Shufeldt. Part IV. , Sheath- 

 bill-Zygodactyli. London, Adam and Charles 

 Black ; New York, The Macmillan Company. 

 1897. Pp. 833-1088 + viii + 124. $2.60. 



Experimental Morphology. Part I., Effect of 

 Chemical and Physical Agents upon Proto- 

 plasm. Chaeles Benedict Davenpoet. 

 New York, The Macmillan Company. 1897. 

 Pp. xiv -f 280. 



Travels in West Africa, Congo Frangais, Corsica 

 and Cameroons. Maey H. Kingsley. New 

 York, The Macmillan Company. 1897. Pp. 

 xvi + 743. 



Elementary Geology. Ralph S. Tare. New 

 York, The Macmillan Company. 1897. Pp. 

 XXX + 499. $1.40. 



Catalogus Mammalium. E. L. Teouessaet. Fas- 

 ciculus I. Berlin, R. Friedlander & Sohn. 

 1897. Pp. V -f 218. M. 10. 



