after repeated careful search. Of Austin's total of 131 arboreal 

 lichens she has found but 7. But in the case of lichens growing 

 upon the earth or rock, or old logs lying upon the ground, there 

 are a greater number of individuals as well as species. Yet 

 even here there is a great difference, for Austin's figures are 98, 

 and she, although Cladonias and crustose lichens have not 

 been completely collected, has found 40. 



The increasing amount of smoke from the cities and the re- 

 peated cutting over of woodlands were mentioned as possible 

 causes for the disappearance of so many species. 



Arthur H. Graves, 



Secretary. 



Meeting of March 9, 1926 



This meeting was held at the American Museum of Natural 

 History. The following were elected to membership: 



Mr. ^^\ S. Atwood, 535 Hillside Ave., Palisade Park, N. J. 



Mrs. E. H. Holmes, 286 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, N. Y. 



Prof. George G. Scott, College of New York City, Convent 

 Ave. & 139th Street, New York City. 



Dr. A. B. Stout of the New York Botanical Garden addressed 

 the Club on his work with avocados, the title of his lecture be- 

 ing "The flower behavior of avocados: a climax in the regulation 

 of sex." The periodicity in the flower opening was explained. 

 Although the flowers are perfect, at their first opening the pistils 

 are receptive and the anthers remain unopened. At the second 

 opening the stamens shed the pollen. The period of time be- 

 tween these two openings varies in difi^erent varieties from 12 

 to 24 to 36 hours, with modifications due to weather conditions. 

 This behavior decidedly prevents close pollination, and makes it 

 imperative, for the best setting of fruit, that varieties which 

 shed pollen and have their pistils receptive, respectively, at 

 the same period, be planted near each other. 



A full account of this work will be published shortly in the 

 Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden. 



xA.RTHUR H. Graves, 



Sec7'etar\\ 



