117 



in Porto Rico." In 191 5 Hubbard and Reed visited Porto 

 Rico in connection with a scientific survey of the Island. They 

 collected fossil plants in the ravine of the Collazo River. Dr. 

 Hollick described 19 species from the material sent him at that 

 time. In 1924 a collection was sent to the New York Botanical 

 Garden by Senor Narciso Rabell, the owner of the region. This 

 year about 300 specimens were collected by Dr. Hollick, of 

 which perhaps 150 may be new species. The fossils were found 

 in layers of clay anci in clay shales, which hardened on exposure 

 to the air. The specimens, as soon as brought to headquarters, 

 were saturated with a solution of parafiin dissolved in benzole, 

 which held the matrix together. They are probably of Eocene 

 age, anci represent land flora, but invertebrate remains, possibly 

 of marine or brackish water origin, occur associated with them. 

 They are earlier than those discovered in the Island of Trinidad, 

 which latter are probably of Miocene age. 



One specimen resembled a fragment of a fascicle of needles 

 of a Pinus, another was evidently a fragment of a Cycad. Frag- 

 ments of a fern and what appeared to be a fucoid plant were 

 shown. A few monocotyledons were represented. All the rest 

 were dicotyledons. 



Dr. Britton remarked that Pinus does not now occur in Porto 

 Rico. But since there are large forests of pines in Hispaniola 

 it is not impossible that Pinus existed in Porto Rico in ancient 

 times. There are three species of pine in Cuba and one in the 

 Bahamas. 



Arthur H. Graves, 



Secretary. 



Minutes of the Meeting of May ii, 1926 



This meeting was held at the American Museum of Natural 

 History. Dr. Arthur P. Kelley of Rutgers University addressed 

 the Club on "Similarity in plant associations and the causal 

 factors." 



Dr. Kelley said that every landscape has a definite appearance 

 or physiognomy which is conditioned by certain factors. These 

 include soil factors, presence or absence of vegetation, height and 

 density of vegetation when present, its color, seasonal aspect, 

 and development of the principal species. 



