117 



The annual field mcctinfr of the Vermont Botanical Club and 

 the Vermont Bird Club will be held July 4 and 5, taking this 

 year the form of a cruise to various points of interest on the 

 islands and northern shores of Lake Champlain. A steamer has 

 been chartered for the occasion. 



Bulletin No. 68 of the Bureau of Plant Industry is a mono- 

 graph of the " North American Species of Agrostis " by A. S. 

 Hitchcock. Most of the type specimens involved in the study 

 have been seen by the author either in this country or in Europe. 

 The te.xt is accompanied by 37 plates. 



The second annual field "symposium" under the joint auspi- 

 cies of the Philadelphia Botanical Club, the Washington Botan- 

 ical Club and the Torrey Botanical Club, which will be held at 

 Ohio Pyle in southwestern Pennsylvania July 3 to 8, promises 

 features of unusual interest. The region is said to have an ex- 

 ceedingly rich flora, including many southern elements which 

 are scarcely found elsewhere in the state. Dr. J. A. Shafer and 

 Dr. W. A. Murrill will act as guides on behalf of the Torrey 

 Club. 



Fascicle I of " Orchidaceae : Illustrations and Studies of the 

 Family Orchidaceae issuing from the Ames Botanical Labora- 

 tory, North P^aston, Massachusetts," by Oakes Ames, was 

 published in April. The 16 plates in this fascicle illustrate 19 

 species, including five new ones from the Philippines. Papers 

 under the titles, "A descriptive List of the Orchidaceous Plants 

 collected in the Philippine Islands by the Botanists of the United 

 States Government," "An Oncidiiun new to the United States," 

 and " Contributions toward a Monograph of the American Spe- 

 cies of SpirantJics " complete the fascicle. 



From the Olivia and Caroline Phelps Stokes P^und for the 

 Protection of Native Plants, the New York Botanical Garden 

 offers the following prizes, payable December 15, 1905 : 



1. A prize of $25.00 for the best essay on local needs in the 

 vicinity of New York City, not to exceed one thousand words. 



2. A prize of $15.00 for the best essay indicating local needs 

 in the parks of New York, not to exceed one thousand words. 



