200 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST.  [VoL. XXXIII. 
ments given in the abstracts were, for the most part, furnished 
by the authors of the papers, the writer having simply put the 
abstracts into a condensed and codrdinate form, with here and 
there an addition from his own notes. 
Pror. Joun W. HARSHBERGER: Some Morphological Structures in 
Paulownia imperialis. — Paulownia imperialis is a Japanese tree of 
umbrageous habit which thrives well and suckers freely in the neigh- 
borhood of Philadelphia and farther south. Its method of branching 
is sympodial. The main shoot, or leader, is terminated by an inflor- 
escence. After the fruit is formed, and the seeds are discharged, 
the axis of inflorescence dies back to the point where the lateral bud 
is given off which develops into the leader of the next season. Be- 
neath this shoot two other branches are also formed, which in suc- 
ceeding years branch in the same way as the leading shoot. 
This tree flourishes in Japan in-valleys and on the sides of hills 
exposed to the powerful action of the sun. A study of the leaf struc- 
ture shows that the plant has adapted itself to that kind of environ- 
ment, branched, antler-like, interlocking, protective hairs occurring 
on the lower foliar surface. 
The flowers are arranged in clusters of cymes, which approach the 
scorpioid type. The flower buds are protected by five thick sepals, 
which are covered with ferruginous protective hairs. The flower 
parts inside of the young buds are all well formed. The pollen is 
fully formed, as likewise the pistil. In the mature pod, which splits 
to discharge the seeds in December, there is found a fleshy placental 
disk rich in tannin, which may be either a reserve product or a waste 
substance. 
In the petioles of the foliage and sprout leaves a number of differ- 
ent shaped crystals are found. These are all calcium oxalate, the 
difference in form being due to the different metabolic influences 
existing at the time of their formation. Peculiar refractive granules, 
the nature of which is not fully determined, are also found in the 
mesophyll cells of the leaves. 
Dr. W. F. Ganonc: On the Life History of Leuchtenbergia prin- 
cipis. — This paper gave a synopsis of the author’s studies upon the 
ontogeny of this rare and highly specialized species, the most note- 
worthy of the Cactacez. The paper traces the history of knowledge 
of the species, its systematic position, anatomy, morphology, etc. Its 
geographical distribution, habits and ecology, morphological compo- 
sition as determined by comparative anatomy and ontogeny, and the 
