10; 



NEWS ITEMS 



The Board of Governors of Harvard University have appointed 

 Mr. E. H.Wilson as assistant director of the Arnold Arboretum. 

 Mr. Wilson returned recently from an extended exploring trip 

 in the Far East. 



My mycological friends have heard much of the fungi that have 

 appeared from time to time on my lawn during the past ten 

 years or more. Now it is Selaginella apus that takes first place, 

 having occupied during recent years an area of over 500 square 

 yards, forming a soft, delicate, green carpet beneath the grass. 

 It began to spread from the shaded side of the lawn, but did 

 not stop spreading when it reached the sunny open spaces. By 

 the middle of June, the large spore-cases are quite evident under 

 a hand lens at the base of the short, crowded spikes. 



— W. A. MURRILL. 



A testimonial dinner to Dr. N. L. Britton, director of the New 

 York Botanical Garden, given by the managers at the Metro- 

 politan Club on the evening of May 7, was attended by men of 

 science from all parts of the country. Dr. D. T. MacDougal, 

 director of the Desert Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution of 

 Washington acted as toastmaster, and speeches reviewing the 

 history of the organization of the garden by Dr. Britton twenty- 

 three years ago, and of his widely inclusive and important re- 

 searches were made by Dr. W. Gilman Thompson, president of 

 the board; Professor R. A. Harper, chairman of the scientific 

 directors; Professor H. F. Osborn, president of the American 

 Museum of Natural History; Provost William H. Carpenter, of 

 Columbia University; Dr. Arthur Hollick, director of the Staten 

 Island Institute of Arts and Sciences, and Professor Geo. T. 

 Moore, director of the Missouri Botanical Garden, at St. Louis. 

 At the conclusion of the ceremonies Mr. Robert DeForest pre- 

 sented Dr. Britton with a loving cup appropriately inscribed on 

 behalf of the board of managers. Congratulatory letters and 

 telegrams from distinguished scientific men were read. 



