OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. 167 



Four hundred and sixth meeting. 



November 8, 1854. — Q,uarterly Meeting. 



The President in the chair. 



Hon. B. R. Curtis, Hon. Rnfus Choate, and Rev. Ephraim 

 Peabody were elected Fellows of the Academy in the Section 

 of Philosophy and Jurisprudence. 



Dr. Charles E. Ware was elected a Fellow of the Academy 

 in the Section of Medicine and Surgery. 



Dr. Thomas M. Brewer and Dr. Silas Durkee were elected 

 Fellows of the Academy in the Section of Zoology and 

 Physiology. 



Dr. B. A. Gculd communicated elements of the fourth 

 comet of 1854, determined from observations at Berlin and 

 Cloverden ; — together with the results of some further com- 

 putations instituted in consequence of the striking resemblance 

 between these elements and those of the first comet of 1845. 

 These results are given in detail in the Astronomical Journal. 



Dr. Hayes alluded to the opinion which has been held by 

 some, that after seasons of drought springs flow more freely 

 before rain falls. His attention had been recently called to 

 the subject by hearing, on reliable authority, that in California 

 this phenomenon is observed some weeks before the annual 

 rains. He inquired if any gentleman present could explain it. 



Professor Levering said that in a paper read before the 

 American Association for the Advancement of Science, during 

 the session at Cleveland, this phenomenon had been attributed 

 to variations in atmospheric pressure, such as produce changes 

 in the barometer ; and he regarded the explanation as a very 

 rational one. 



Dr. Jeffries Wyman stated that he had been engaged in mak- 

 ing some experiments with a view to ascertain, if possible, the 

 cause of contractility in some vegetable tissues, as in the cap- 

 sules of the common Balsam and the Echinocystis lohata. In 

 these it is well known that, when the seeds are ripe, the seed- 

 vessel bursts open, scattering them to a considerable distance. 



