1912.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 143 



Adjournment until the following morning. 



A brilliant invitation reception was given in the evening by Dr. 

 Dixon, Mrs. Dixon, and Miss Dixon in the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel 

 from 8 until 11 o'clock. 



Third Day, March 21. 



The meeting was called to order by the President at 10.30 A.M. 



The Chair referred to the fact that the late Dr. Montgomery had 

 been placed on the program for the first paper of the session under 

 the title "Human Spermatogenesis: Spermatocytes and Spermio- 

 genesis," but his funeral would take place to-morrow at 10.30 A.M. 



Edwin J. Houston, Ph.D., then made a communication on "How 

 the Natural Sciences can be made Attractive to the Young." 



If the natural sciences fail to interest the young, the fault is due 

 neither to the character of the subject nor the age of those whom 

 we wish to instruct, but to some faulty or illogical method of presen- 

 tation. The collections of the Academy present a fine opportunity 

 to interest the young in the natural sciences and they are doing this 

 now, but more could be done. The Academy encouraged and 

 assisted such men as Leidy, Cope, Morton, Rand, Tryon, Ryder, 

 Cassin, Parker, and many more, but it may have failed to develop 

 others. 



It is one thing to read about a natural object and another to 

 examine a carefully prepared specimen of it, still better to know it 

 by actually touching and handling it. The young should be en- 

 couraged to make collections for themselves. In order to insure 

 the best results, the aid of a teacher will be required. Lectures 

 specially arranged are a great help, and means should be taken to 

 encourage exchange, an endeavor being made to promote what 

 may be called chumminess among the collectors. Interest will 

 soon die if the young investigator has no companion. 



Suitable books are essential. They are not numerous. The 

 average books on the natural sciences cannot be used by children. 

 Dr. Houston had prepared a series of books, keeping in mind the 

 unwillingness of the child to read anything that looks like a school- 

 book. He had adopted the style of the Jules Verne stories and 

 endeavored to improve on it, making the work interesting while 

 being scrupulously careful to sacrifice no scientific truth. The 

 plan of these books was described in detail. 



The following communications were also made: 



James A. G. Rehn: "The Orthopteran Inhabitants of the Sonoran 



Creosote Bush, Covillea tridentata." 



The species of Orthoptera known to occur only on this bush were 

 shown to be six in number, representing three families and five 

 genera of the order. The remarkable color resemblance of certain 



