76 77 ie Meeting of the Association Internationale 
the Gymnosperm seed, that the Gymnosperms, or at least the Cycads 
and their allies, arose from a Fern-stock, and the anatomical evidence on 
which this conclusion so long solely rested thus receives the most 
striking confirmation; while the morphological method in anatomy 
obtains in its turn a most important justification. 
It is with even greater interest that we now await the discovery of 
more primitive types of seeds in the Filieinean group. 
A. G. T. 
THE MEETING OF THE “ASSOCIATION INTER¬ 
NATIONALE DES BOTANISTES” AT LEIDEN. 
I T is now about two years since the first steps were taken to 
establish an International Association of Botanists, the aim of 
which was (and is) to include in its members all the botanists 
of the world. The first great object of this Society was to publish 
an international botanical journal, which should contain abstracts 
of all important contributions to botanical science, and at the same 
time give as complete lists as possible of all current botanical 
literature. The arrangements for this were concluded with the 
establishment of the “ Association Internationale des Botanistes ” 
at Geneva in August, 1901, and the purchase of the “ Botanisches 
Centralblatt,” to be conducted as the organ of the Association. 
But the publication of such a journal was not the only 
aim of the Society. Being international, one of its chief objects 
is to facilitate inter-communication between investigators in the 
various countries of the world, and a scheme was propounded for 
the interchange and ready distribution of material for research, as 
well as for the supply of information on all points connected with 
botany and botanical travel. This scheme is now slowly maturing, 
and will, it is hoped, soon be realised, 
The difficulties which confront the editorial body of the “ Cen¬ 
tralblatt ” are very great, but slowly and surely they are being 
overcome. The lists of current literature, for instance, now contain 
the titles of very recently published papers, and the staffs of special 
editors, who, in each country, look after the different branches of 
botany, are now practically complete. This was the essence of Dr. 
Lotsy’s report to the members of the Association at the first 
gathering of the Leiden conference on the evening of the 14th of 
