proceedings: biological society 27 



as well as the young when several months old. Other forms taken 

 from life and thrown upon the screen wei"e examples of the marbled 

 salamander) Amhyst omaopacum) and the elegant spotted salamander 

 (.4. punctatuin), shown in its teri-estrial attitudes as well as seen under 

 water. This form is comparatively rare in the vicinity of AVashington, 

 less than ten specimens having been collected within the last thirty 

 years. Some six or eight other species of American salamanders were 

 thrown upon the screen to illustiate their forms and attitudes in 

 life. 



The peculiar habit the male of the water newt (Diemydylus viri- 

 descens) has of hugging the female was shown from living specimens 

 in an aquarium maintained by the speaker at the time these studies 

 were made. This habit of Dieniydylus is quite independent of any 

 sexual act during the breeding season, and has been especially referred 

 to in the published life histories of the animal. 



Large colored drawings were exhibited, giving the rare Anderson's 

 tree toad and several of the Hylidae. Additional presentations by 

 means of lantern were given of all the frogs, toads, and hylas of the 

 Atlantic States, as well as some southern species. The remarkable 

 gopher frog of Florida was fully illustrated and its life history given 

 in considerable detail. 



Dr. Shufeldt's remarks were discussed by Messrs. W. P. Hay, 

 William Palmer, L. 0. Howard, A. Wetmore, and A. A. Doolittle. 



The 573d regular meeting of the Society was held in the Assembly 

 Hall of the Cosmos Club, Saturday, November 3, 1917; called to order 

 by President Hay at 8 p.m.; 58 persons in attendance. 



Informal brief notes were presented as follows: 



Dr. T. S. Palmer called attention to the fact that the first botanical 

 society in this vicinity had been founded one hundred years ago, and 

 that members who failed to attend its meetings were subject to fines. 

 He also exhibited a recently issued Bibliography of British Ornithol- 

 ogy, which in addition to the usual bibliographic data contains 

 biographical sketches of the authors of titles listed in the bibliograph3\ 



Dr. L. O. Howard called attention to the recent centennial celebra- 

 tion of the Medical Society of the District of Columbia. 



Dr. H. M. Smith reported that the recent fur-seal census shows 

 an increase of about 10 per cent over the previous census, the total 

 number being 468,000. He also reported that the flesh of whales, 

 owing to the decreasing supplies of other meats, is being used for 

 human food in the United States, especially on the Pacific Coast. 



Mr. C. Birdseye remarked that large quantities of palatable seal 

 meat are annually thrown away by sealers along the northeast coast 

 of North America. 



Lieutenant M. W. Lyon, Jr., exhibited a photograph of a human 

 anatomical anomaly in. which a kidney and its corresponding ovary 

 and uterine tube were lacking. It was the third case of congenital 

 absence of a kidney which he had encountered in two years. 



