15 



cacti of the Atlantic Coastal Plain, especially of Florida, recently 

 made by Dr. Small, with the support and cooperation of Mr. 

 Charles Deering. 



Dr. John K. Small then gave a summary of the progress of 

 our knowledge of the Atlantic Coastal Plain cacti during the 

 past twenty-two years. At the beginning of the present century 

 7 species were commonly recognized for this area; in 1918 the 

 number had been increased to 12; and now, in 1922, about 40 

 species are recognizable. Of these species, 4 are naturalized 

 and the others are without doubt natives. Thirty six of them 

 occur in Florida only. The island of Nantucket is the most 

 northern range of the family. After this introduction the meet- 

 ing was adjourned to one of the greenhouses in Conservatory 

 Range No. 2, where all of the species of the Atlantic Coastal 

 Plain were represented by living plants, whose leading charac- 

 teristics and relationships were pointed out by Dr. Small. 



Marshall A. Howe, 

 Secretary. 



Meeting of November 14, 1922 

 The meeting was held at the American Museum of Natural 

 history. The chairman announced the subject of the meeting 

 to be "Wild Flowers and their Insect Visitors" and introduced 

 the speaker, Professor O. P. Medsger. 



Professor Medsger spoke of the general adaptations of plants 

 to secure pollination by means of the wind or by insects, showing 

 pictures of many plants, some with the insects on them, and 

 described his own observations on pollination. He showed 

 pictures of timothy grass in blossom, showing how well it is 

 adapted for wind pollination, then told of seeing bumble- and 

 honey-bees climbing up the heads in the early morning, gathering 

 the pollen. Many plants well adapted for wind pollination are 

 visited and must often be pollinated by insects that feed on 

 pollen. In contrast, the arbutus and lily of the valley, plants 

 adapted by odor and nectar to secure insect visitors, seem to be 

 rarely visited and seldom set fruit. The azalea and rhodora 

 are visited by bumble-bees and butterflies which easily reach 

 into the long corolla tubes. The mountain laurel is visited by 

 bumble-bees and small native bees. The four-leaved milkweed 

 is one of the few flowers visited by the honey-bee. Honey-bees 



