1876.] 359 [Meeting. 



and every discovery of new forms seemed to make the resemblance 

 more striking. Doubtless a critical study of the species independ- 

 ently described would reveal even a closer relationship than was now 

 known to exist; for instance, the Acridites formosus Gold., of Saar- 

 briick, is unquestionably a Megathentomum, closely allied to Meg. 

 pustulatum Scudd., from Illinois. In conclusion, Mr. Scudder ex- 

 pressed his belief that we are already warranted in saying that the 

 insect faunas of Europe and America were as intimately related in 

 Carboniferous times as now. 



Section of Botany. Jane 5, 1876. 



Mr. T. T. Bouve in the chair. Thirty-five persons present. 



In relation to the question of the fertilization of the dan- 

 delion, which was brought up at the previous meeting, Mr. 

 B. D. Halsted said that he had found the flowers to be visited 

 by bees, and he explained the provision for cross-fertilization. 



Mr. W. P. Wilson made more extended remarks on the 

 same subject, showing by drawings that the pollen ripens in 

 each flower before the stigma matures, thus effectually pre- 

 venting close fertilization. He had found that several species 

 of wild bees, and also the honey-bees, visit the flowers fre- 

 quently. 



Mr. Halsted showed a number of cluster-cups and other 

 parasitic fungi ; also the sexual plants of Osmimda regalis, 

 whose prothalli are not hermaphroditic, but unisexual. 



Mr. R. "W. Greenleaf showed a monstrous stalk of aspara- 

 gus, produced by the union of two stems, and made some 

 remarks on this kind of monstrosity. 



Dr. G. L. Goodale called attention to the hitherto unsus- 

 pected parasitic or sapraphytic character of some of our 

 common plants, and suggested that the members of the Sec- 

 tion pay special attention to the detection of the habit in 

 other plants, especially those which turn black in drying. 



