274 ANNALS NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



The following applications for Active Membership, having been approved 

 by the Council, were then presented. 



Miss Anna E. Collins, St. Agatha's School, 559 West End Av., 

 William Forster, 59 Wall Street, 



Emil V. Helferrich, Cincinnati, O. 



It was voted that the applicants be elected. 



Announcement of the death of W. W. Jefferis, mineralogist, late of this 

 city, on the 23d of February, was then made. 



The Chairman suggested that Mr. L. P. Gratacap be requested to pre- 

 pare a memorial notice of Dr. Jefferis. Voted. 

 The Academy then adjourned, 



W. M. Wheeler, 

 Recording Secretary. 



SECTION OF BIOLOGY. 



March 5, 1906. 



The Section met at 8:40 P. M. at the American Museum of Natural 

 History. 



The minutes of the preceding meeting were read and approved. 

 The folloM'ing program was then presented: 



C. W. Hahn, Embryology of the Horned Toad. 



A. M. Fernandez de Tbarra, The First Written Document about the 



Flora, the Fauna, the Ethnology and 

 the Anthropology of America. 



R. C. Osbnm, Notes on the Functions of Fins of 



Fishes. 



Summary of Papers. 



Mr. Hahn stated that in the homed toad, the blastoderm is in the form 

 of a cap-like elevation at a very early stage. Even before the mesoblast sac 

 has advanced far in its development, the whole space under the cap-like 

 elevation is filled with a network of mesoblast cells. A distinct lateral 

 pouch from the lateral region of the mesoblast sac on each side is conspicu- 



