434 PRIZE QUESTIONS OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 



EXTKACT FROM THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE HOLLAND SOCIETY OF SCIENCE 

 AT HARLEM FOR THE YEAR 1861. 



The society licld its lOOtli annual session on the 18th of May, 

 1861. 



Since its last meeting it had received — 



1. A memoir, written. in French, on the sponges of the seas of the 

 Antilles. 



The directors did not deem fit to come to an immediate conclusion 

 as to the insertion of this work in the society's memoirs. 



2. A memoir, written in French, by Mr. T. C. Winkler, of Harlem, 

 containing the description of fossil fishes from the quarries at Sohl- 

 enhofen, in Bavaria. 



3. A memoir presented by Dr. Bierens De Haan, upon a method of 

 discussing definite integrals. 



On the unanimous recommendation of the members who were con- 

 sulted, t\\Q directors resolved that this memoir should be inserted in 

 the society's transactions. 



4. A memoir in reply to the following question : " Many paleontolo- 

 gists, and among them Yon Meijer, Heer, Agassiz, and Kaup, have 

 described and figured various animals of which remains have been 

 found in the quarries of Oeningen, situated on the frontiers of Swit- 

 zerland and of the Grand Duchy of Baden. During their researches, 

 and subsequently, the quarries have constantly furnished new species 

 which the society desires to see described. The society will award 

 its gold medal to the naturalist w^ho will present a good description, 

 accompanied by the necessary figures, of the newly-found species, 

 whether of mammifers, fish, or insects." 



This memoir, Avritten in German, contains the description, with a 

 number of figures, of newly-found fossil insects from Oeningen. The 

 society unanimously^ resolved to crown this memoir, and to request 

 the author to communicate to the society whatever further informa- 

 tion he may obtain on the subject of the fossil insects of Oeningen. 



On the opening of the sealed note accompanying the memoir it 

 was found that the author was Professor 0. Heer, of Zurich. 



5. A memoir, written in German, and bearing the^ epigraph, Multa 

 pertransibunt et augebitur scientia, in reply to the following ques- 

 tion : 



"What have been the results to astronomy of the numerous dis- 

 coveries of small planets revolving around the sun between the orbits 

 of Mars and Jupiter. What is their importance, and what their 

 promise for the future?" 



This memoir is obviously from the pen of a learned and expe- 

 rienced astronomer. The question, however, is only answered in 

 part, and there are serious errors in the calculations. For these 

 reasons the society was unable to crown this memoir. 



6. A memoir, written in German, and bearing the epigraph ^^ Die 

 eivigen Gesetze in der Natur sindfur uns die Sjprache der Geisterwelt,' ' 

 in reply to the following question: 



