I07 



which are common to the Pacific slope of North America and to 

 the GavSpc Peninsula or western Newfoundland are otherwise 

 known only in the Arctic Archipelago which was north of the 

 continental glaciers of America. Similarly, about 70 species, 

 common to unglaciated arctic America^ and the unglaciated 

 mountains of Gasp6 and the mountains of the western United 

 States or adjacent Canada, are known in Europe only in arctic 

 Russia and Nova Zembla or sometimes in limited areas on the 

 Kola Peninsula. These regions lay to the northeast of the great 

 continental ice sheets which in Europe radiated in Pleistocene 

 time from the Scandinavian mountains, and the speaker pointed 

 out that the flora which is made up of these species which out- 

 lived Pleistocene glaciation on isolated unglaciated spots may be 

 considered the ancient arctic flora, since it has shown little, if 

 any, inclination since the waning of the Pleistocene glaciers to 

 take possession of the adjacent regions which were covered by 

 continental ice. A younger artic flora which, during the latest 

 advances of the Glacial Period, reached southern Europe and the 

 mountains of New England and New York, now occupies both 

 unglaciated and glaciated regions to the northward and shows no 

 such conservatism as the species which characterize the moun- 

 tains of Gaspe and western Newfoundland. A detailed analysis 

 of the situation will soon be published. 



Arthur H. Graves, 



Secretary. 



NEWS NOTES 



Mr. Ellsworth Bethel, who has been Curator of the Depart- 

 ment of Natural History for the Colorado State Museum, died 

 suddenly on Sept. 8, He was well known for his work in forestry 

 and at the time of his death was Pathologist for the United 

 States Bureau of Plant Industry. He did a great deal to interest 

 the people of Colorado in Natuial Histoiy. 



Mr. Rafael Toro, after two months of research in the New 

 York Botanical Gardens, has returned to Porto Rico as assistant 

 plant pathologist in the Agricultural Experiment Station at Rio 

 Piedras. Dr. Mel T. Cook will be associated with Mr. Toro in 

 this work. » 



