126 



In view of this showing, it was decided to continue the field 

 meetings through July and August, as usual. 



On motion, the Club voted to endorse the application of Miss 

 Winifred J. Robinson for a grant of ^200.00 from the Herrman 

 Fund of the New York Academy of Sciences. 



The scientific program consisted of a discussion of " The Cac- 

 tuses of the West Indies" by Dr. N. L. Britton. 



The speaker referred to the distribution of cacti in the West 

 Indian Islands and the regions inhabited by them ; these are 

 mostly on the southern side of the larger islands, where the rain- 

 fall is very low and where these plants are very abundant, certain 

 portions of the southern side of eastern Cuba and of Jamaica 

 being actual cactus deserts. On the smaller islands the cacti 

 grow less abundantly and mainly at low altitudes. The genus 

 Rhipsalis forms an exception to the general xerophytic distri- 

 bution, its species growing on trees and cliffs in relatively moist 

 regions. Southern Florida contains several species similar to 

 some of those growing on the Bahamas and in Cuba or identical 

 with them. After a preliminary description of the plants the 

 meeting adjourned to the propagating houses of the New York 

 Botanical Garden, where specimens of living cacti, including 

 nearly all the known species of the West Indies, were exhibited 

 and described. Percy Wilson, 



Secretary 



FIELD NUMBERS FOR THE TORREY CLUB 

 EXCURSIONS 

 The chairman of the field committee has started a series of 

 field numbers to be used on the days that the Club holds its ex- 

 cursions. These will run continuously during the entire season. 

 Those members who care to number their collections in accord- 

 ance with this set of field numbers will have the opportunity to 

 collate specimens thus numbered with notes which will subse- 

 quently be published in Torreya. It is planned to publish all 

 the determinations of special interest, but no attempt can be 

 made to print the determinations of the common and widely 

 dispersed plants. Norman Taylor, 



Chairman 



