April 27, 1900.] 



SCIENCE. 



665 



wheu the two resistances are to each other in- 

 versely as the two corresponding capacities. 

 The apparatus has been employed in the Co- 

 lumbia University laboratory and gave com- 

 plete satisfaction. It is capable of a tolerably 

 high degree of accuracy, but its principal merit 

 is its convenience. 



Professor J. K. Rees presented a paper by 

 Miss C. B. Furness on a ' Catalogue of stars 

 within one degree of the North Pole, and the 

 optical distortion of the Helsingfors astrophoto- 

 graphic telescope.' The paper gave the results 

 of measurements on 65 stars. By taking stars 

 near the pole, the same group of stars can be 

 taken at different angles with reference to the 

 object glass of the telescope. At Helsingfors 

 the pole is sufficiently far from the horizon to 

 avoid trouble with refraction. From the meas- 

 urements the distortion of the Helsingfors lens 

 was found to be not appreciable. 



Wm. S. Day, 



Secretary. 



TOREEY BOTANICAL CLUB. 



At the meeting of the Club on February 28th 

 the first subject on the scientific program was 

 a 'Note on Apeiba,' by Dr. D. T. MaoDougal, 

 who showed specimens of leafy branches of this 

 Tiliaceous tree, exhibiting flowers apparently 

 seated on the leaves, an accidental but fre- 

 quently quite stable position, due to abundant 

 blossoms dropping from above, piercing the 

 lower leaves and lodging there. Dr. Mac- 

 Dougal witnessed this peculiarity in trees culti- 

 vated in Jamaica, originally from British Guiana. 



The principal paper of the evening was a 

 discussion by Dr. N. L. Britton ' On the Flow- 

 ering Plants collected by Mr. R. S. Williams in 

 the Yukon Territory, 1898-1899.' Dr. Britton 

 exhibited the plants collected, and by means of 

 a sketch map of the region he compared the 

 diverse floras of the Alaskan region. Mr. Wil- 

 liams' collection contains several new species 

 and several others which are new to North 

 America. The Ferns, Lycopodia, etc., of Mr. 

 Williams' collection were reviewed by Dr. Un- 

 derwood and Professor Lloyd. They include 

 such widespread forms as Cystopteris fragilis, 

 Polypodium vulgare, Selaginella rupestris, and 

 species of Equisetum and of Lycopodium, includ- 



ing L. annotmum, and L. Selago. The Conifers 

 include Tsuga Mertensiana. Dr. Britton is still 

 engaged on a study of the similarly abundant 

 Sedges, with several peculiar forms. Carex 

 vesicaria is there cut for hay. Eriophorum vagi- 

 nafum and E. polystachyon grow there also. The 

 eight orchids were worked over by Dr. Rydberg. 



The Birches are interesting, one of them new 

 to North America. Another new birch has just 

 been described from the Alaskan coast, but this 

 is wholly different. Two Polygonum species 

 occur, P. viviparum, and another peculiar to 

 Alaska. -Rosa acicularis occurs there, and one 

 violet, V. Macloskiei. The BuSaloberry, Shep- 

 herdia, is there a shrub ; Cornus Canadensis, C. 

 stolonifera, Empetrum nigrum, etc., are present. 

 Only three Umbelliferee were collected. An 

 important part of the flora is formed by the 

 Heath family, about 20 species, Dodecatheon is 

 there. Primula Sibirica, a Oilia, two species of 

 Polemonium, a new Mertensia ; only one Labiate; 

 Qentiana propinqua ; Menyanthes trifoliata ; Plan- 

 tago aristata ; Galium horeale ; Linnsea borealis ; 

 Viburnum pauciflorum; a new Valerian, etc. On 

 the whole the flora is not so fully Arctic as we 

 might have expected from the latitude. 



Mr. R. S. Williams, the collector of these 

 specimens, said there were few shrubs there ex- 

 cept willows ; for miles all is covered by spruce 

 15 to 20 feet high and not over two or three 

 inches in diameter. A detailed discussion of 

 the Forest-conditions of the Klondike will be 

 furnished by Mr. Williams to an early number 

 of the Journal of the New York Botanical Garden. 

 Mr. G. N. Nash said there were 36 species of 

 Grasses, 7 new, and some others new to North 

 America, as Calamagroatis Lapponica and Fes- 

 tuca altaica. Professor Lloyd spoke of the in- 

 teresting forms of Lycopodium complanatum. One 

 in Montana and Idaho is irregular in habit, and 

 has one spike on a peduncle. The Klondike 

 specimens seem to be the Arctic condition of 

 this Montana form and so agree with others 

 from Labrador. Edwaed S. Burgess, 



Secretary. 



SCIENCE CLUB OF THE UNIVERSITY OF 

 WISCONSIN. 



The March meeting of the Science Club of 

 the University of Wisconsin was a memorial 



