Apri 18, 1884] 
Simoecephalus. Pseudo-sida bidentata Herr. unites 
Sida and Daphnella.. Mr. Herrick inclines to the 
opinion that the fauna of the states south of the Ohio 
River is a remnant of a pre-glacial one; while in the 
drift-covered areas a new circumpolar fauna has 
arisen, measurably independent of the previous one, 
though, of course, derived from it. The paper led to 
some discussion of geological evidence of the origin 
and persistence of types of fresh-water animals, and 
a comparison of the specialized phyllopod fauna of 
America with the cosmopolitan character of other 
fresh-water groups. Mr. Warren Upham spoke of 
the progress made in cataloguing the plants of Minne- 
sota, a work on which he is engaged. Much interest 
is shown by the botanists in all parts of the state in 
contributing material and notes. 
of species of flowering plants and ferns now known 
to occur in Minnesota, growing without cultivation, 
is 1,527, belonging to 546 genera, which represent 115 
families or orders. Of these, 125 species are intro- 
SCIENCE. 
The total number 
495 
NOTES AND NEWS. 
_ In addition to the signal-service note mentioned 
in our editorial columns, there is another, no. vi., 
by the same author, on wind-velocities as determined 
during the summer of 1882, by hourly records of 
automatic anemometers at Chicago, and on the lake 
crib, three miles out on Lake Michigan, whence the 
city’s water-supply is taken to the shore by a tunnel. 
The discussion shows the local peculiarities of the 
wind with much distinctness. ‘The general ratio of 
velocity in Chicago to that at the crib is about 1 : 2, 
even though the anemometer in the city is a hundred 
and three feet above the ground, while that on the 
lake is only fifty-seven feet above the water; proving 
a marked control exercised by even so smooth a land- 
surface as that about Chicago in retarding the winds, 
—a control probably much strengthened by the build- 
ings in the city. The diurnal variation of velocity is 
shown clearly at both stations: the maximum occur- 
= 
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a 0AM. lil Vi IX e J > 
IGS Ihe 
pa ® ® iy f\ 
: x ii 
0 AM 11 VI SX i VI IX PM 
Hie. 2. 
duced, being foreign plants that have become estab- 
lished or naturalized, leaving 1,402 that are aborigines. 
Up to the present time, only about half as many in- 
troduced weeds are known in Minnesota as in New 
England; the difference being due to the later settle- 
ment of the former section. Mr. John B. Leiberg 
contributed a paper on plant-life in Montana and 
Dakota. It was stated that many species found were 
met with in the south-west only at high elevations. 
Their growth was of a luxuriance not seen in Minne- 
sota. Only one kind of cherry was found west of the 
Missouri River along the line of the Northern Pacific, 
this being the little sandy cherry. Golden-rod was 
abundant. But one kind of pennyroyal was met. 
Fully one-half the grass found west of the Missouri 
was of one kind. Only two species of ferns, and but 
few mosses, were seen. The great number of fossil 
trees between Bismarck and Llendive was a fact of 
particular interest. From the stumps, some of them 
ten feet in diameter, the trees originally must have 
been of immense size. 
' 
ring about three or four in the afternoon, on land, and 
about four or five over the water; the minimum being 
rather uniformly maintained from ten in the even- 
ing, on through the night. The ratio of increase is 
much greater at the former (5.6:9.6) than at the 
latter station (11.5 : 13.5), as might be expected, both 
from the greater diurnal changes of temperature 
on land, and from the fact that at the time of maxi- 
mum velocity on land the lake-breeze prevails. Direc- 
tions are given only for the city station: they exhibit 
the phenomena of land and sea breezes in good form. 
The average of four months, here copied in fig. 1 
with slight change, shows the south-west land-breeze 
from four in the morning till eleven; then there 
is an abrupt reversal to the north-east lake-breeze, 
which persists from noon till ten at night, followed 
by a gradual right-handed veering as the land-breeze 
is established again. The veering is found with 
greatest regularity in the July averages. Fig. 2 
illustrates the immediate reversal from west-north- 
west to east-south-east at noon, followed by the 
