768 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. IV. No. 99. 



THE TORBEY BOTANICAL CLUB. 



At the meeting of October 28th two new 

 members were elected. The reference in the 

 last minutes to the occurrence of the Eussian 

 Thistle on Captain's Island was corrected, the 

 plant proving to be Salsola Kali. 



The paper by Mr. B. D. Gilbert, entitled ' A 

 New Gymnogramme from Venezuela, with Re- 

 marks on other Venezuelan Ferns,' was pre- 

 sented by Prof. L. M. Underwood, the author 

 not being present. It consisted of an exhibit 

 of the ferns collected upon the lower Orinoco 

 Eiver last spring, by Messrs. Eusby and Squires. 

 The more interesting species, besides the new 

 one, were Adiantum olivaceum Baker, Alsophila 

 blechnoides Hooker, Hemitelia grandi/olia 

 Spreng., Hemitelia Guianenses Parkeri Hooker, 

 Aspidium meniscioides Willd. and Antrophyum 

 subsessile Kze. 



A discussion followed on the heterogeneous 

 character of the elements at present included in 

 the genus Gymnogramme, and it was agreed 

 that the new species was naturally a Poly- 

 podium and that its necessary reference to 

 Gymnogramme was due to artificial genus- 

 limits. 



Dr. H. H. Eusby described a new genus 

 from Bolvia, in the family Icacinacese, illustra- 

 ting by specimens and blackboard drawings. 

 Its structural relations to the other groups of 

 the family and to the associated genera were 

 carefully pointed out. The communication was 

 discussed by Dr. Britton. 



A communication from Miss S. B. D. Lewis 

 on the species of Nymphea found in Eaquette 

 Lake was beautifully illustrated by colored 

 drawings. The form of Pontederia cordate, with 

 cream flowers, was also reported by Miss Lewis. 

 An animated discussion of the communication 

 was participated in by Dr. Britton, Prof. Lloyd, 

 Mr. Eydberg, Mrs. Britton and the Secretary. 



Dr. Allen remarked on his collections and 

 observations in the far North, and exhibited a 

 number of interesting specimens. 



H. H. Eusby, 

 Recording Secretary. 



THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE OF ST. LOUIS. 



At the meeting of November 2, 1896, Mr. Col- 

 ton Eussell spoke of ' what an entomologist can 



find of interest about St. Louis, ' illustrating his 

 remarks by numerous pinned specimens of in- 

 sects, giving particular attention to the butter- 

 flies, and speaking at some length of the phenom- 

 ena of periodicity, migration, polymorphism, 

 etc., as illustrated by these insects, his paper 

 embodying the result of a large amount of field 

 work performed during the past ten years. 

 Eesolutions opposing the passage of the anti- 

 vivisection bill now before the United States 

 Senate were adopted. Three persons were 

 elected to active membership, 



Wm. Trelease, 



Recording Secretary. 



TEXAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



At a meeting of the Texas Academy of 

 Science, held at the University of Texas on 

 October 2d, Dr. George Bruce Halsted gave an 

 account of his recent travels in Eussia. At a regu- 

 lar meeting of the same association, held on No- 

 vember 6th, Prof. T. U. Taylor, C. E. , gave an 

 abstract of a somewhat extended paper on Eoads 

 in the Black Waxy Lands of Texas, in which he 

 discussed the best methods of construction, the 

 cost of labor, results already attained, etc. 

 Dr. Frederic W. Simonds also presented an im- 

 portant paper at this meeting, a tribute to his 

 friend and teacher. Prof. Ch. Fred. Hartt, 

 M. A. , the first Professor of Geology at Cornell 

 University, who died in 1878, when Chief of the 

 Geological Commission of Brazil. This sketch 

 will be published in full in one of the leading 

 scientific journals. 



NEW BOOKS. 



The Cell in Development and Inheritance. Ed- 

 mund B. Wilson. London and New York, 

 The Macmillan Co. 1896. Pp. xvi + 371. 

 $3.00. 



The Survival of the Unlike. L. H, Bailey. 

 New York and London, The Macmillan Co. 

 1896. Pp. 515. $2.50. 



The American Commonwealth. (Abridged edi- 

 tion.) James Bryce. New York and Lon- 

 don, The Macmillan Co. 1896. Pp. xiii + 

 547. $1.75. 



The Story of the Mine. Charles Howard 

 Shinn. NewYork, D. Appleton& Co. 1896. 

 Pp. vii + 272. $1.50. 



