259 



of the year, flow under the ground for the last two miles, so that 

 it is easily possible to get across near the coast, but in the rainy 

 season they flow in the surface bed and are quite impassable. 



The prevailing wind is the moisture-laden northeast trade. 

 On this account the rainfall is abundant on the windward side of 

 the Maestra while the leeward side of the range is dry and arid. 

 The increasing altitude of the mountains from east to west and 

 the decrease in the width of the strip of land lying between them 

 and the sea makes the effect of this great wind-shield still more 

 marked as one travels westward. Here at least two species of 

 Cereus, and an Agave, together with many other more or less 

 xerophytic plants, were found. 



Among the interesting plants collected were specimens of 

 Finns occidentalis. This pine occurred on the mountains at eleva- 

 tions between i,ooo and 2,300 feet, and was plentiful in many 

 places. The great size and inaccessibility of the trees of Ceiba 

 poitandra that were found in the mountains were cited as facts 

 that must have some bearing on the probable New World origin 

 of the species. 



Discussion followed by Dr. Britton and Dr. Howe, the former 

 giving recent evidence collected by him in Jamaica, pointing 

 toward the conclusion that the Cciba may very probably be con- 

 sidered as a native of the New World. 



The meeting adjourned at 5:20 o'clock. 



C. Stuart Gager, 



Secretary. 



NEWS ITEMS 



Science for November 16 announces the appointment of Dr. 

 Albert Mann, formerly professor of botany in the Ohio Wesleyan 

 University and expert in the U. S. Department of Agriculture, 

 as professsor of botany' in the George Washington University. 



The herbarium of William Mitten, the distinguished bryologist, 

 who died at Hurstpierpont, England, last July, has been pur- 

 chased by the New York Botanical Garden. Mr. R. S. Williams, 

 of the Garden staff, sailed for England on October 6 to superin- 



