49 



which was growing in the middle of their lawn. They were very 

 much relie\ed and at the time very much interested in knowing 

 that such a little fungus could cause such a big commotion. 

 Such incidents as this are a very common occurrence. 



In addition to their odor, which is attractive or offensive, 

 according to the point of view, these plants have other features 

 which render them very attractive. Some of the forms growing 

 in the Tropics, especially Clathrus, are very brilliantly colored. 

 Probably both the color and the odor serve to attract insects 

 which aid in the distribution of the species. 



During the past summer the speaker was interested in 

 collecting in The New York Botanical Garden a large number 

 of specimens belonging to the genus Coins. This genus is repre- 

 sented by six species growing in Africa, Australia, Ceylon, South 

 America, and Java. About twenty years ago a new species, 

 Colus Schollenbergiae, was described from Pittsburgh, Pennsyl- 

 vania, and is the only species of the genus known in North 

 America. The plants collected in The New York Botanical 

 Garden are probably identical with that species. The American 

 species, however, is very similar to the one found in Java and 

 there are two questions which are still unanswered: (1) Is the 

 American species different from the foreign species, and if so, 

 why has it not been more frequently collected in America? (2) 

 If, as would appear, it is identical with the Java species, how 

 did it get here and why should it have been found once in 

 Pittsburgh and once in New York City? 



The meeting adjourned at 4:35 p.m. 



Respectfully submitted, 



FoRMAN T. McLean, 



Secretary 



NEWS NOTES 



Dr. Raymond H. Wallace, National Research Council Fel- 

 low at Columbia University, has been appointed assistant 

 professor of botany at the Connecticut Agricultural College. 

 Associate Professor G. Safford Torrey has been appointed pro- 

 fessor of botany, and succeeds Dr. Edmund W. Sinnott as head 

 of the department. 



Dr. A. J. Grout, bryologist, will be at the Biological Labora- 

 tory at Cold Spring Harbor this coming summer from the end 



