164 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [July, 



licity, so that with reasonable search on the part of other scien- 

 tists duplication of descriptions may be avoided. What consti- 

 tutes such reasonable pul^licity has not been strictly and minutely 

 agreed upon. But we may say, for instance, that publication in 

 the Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society is reasonable no- 

 tice to the scientific world. And we may say also as an example 

 that publication in the obscurest county newspaper in our newest 

 settled territory is not reasonable warning to others of priority 

 claimed. 



One of our correspondents says that he has published in a local 

 paper of New Hampshire some descriptions of desmids claimed 

 by him to be entitled to new names, and his claim to priority 

 dates from such publication. We are of opinion that such a claim 

 will not be pronounced valid by naturalists in general. Not one 

 in a thousand of the naturalists of the world has seen or could 

 be exi^ected to see the paper in question unless the author took 

 the trouble to mail a large number of copies to all parts of the 

 world. 



Whether publication in this Journal would be recognized as 

 of sufficient publicity will perhaps be questioned by some, but it 

 is enormously superior for this purpose to a county newspaper. 

 We shall not feel inclined to defend our correspondent's claim as 

 stated by him, unless it secures quite general acquiescence, and 

 we feel sure that it cannot. 



Let us suppose that Smith publishes in the Fifield (Wis.) 

 Advocate^ J'-^ly ^^7" 18911 the name and description of a new des- 

 mid ; and that Jones publishes in the Neivs-Stin^ of Seymour, 

 Texas, July 26, 1S91, a different name, but with such description 

 that all can see that it is the same desmid. Neither of the above 

 papers has 400 subscribers, as we are informed. Should Jones 

 also get his description into the y. R. M. S. in September, and 

 Smith fail to do so, Smith's supposed priority would never be 

 recognized. We do not believe that either the publication of 

 July 17 or that of July 26 ought to be considered valid. 



The Science Meetings. — The American Microscopical vSo- 

 ciety will sit at Rochester, N. Y., August 9 to 12, and the A. A. 

 A. S. will sit in the same city August 16 to 23. This leaves Sat- 

 urda}', Sunday, and Monday for waste time between the two 

 meetings. The American Geological Society and two other as- 

 sociations will sit on the 15th and i6th, a much wiser plan than 

 that adopted by the microscopists. Why will the latter go on 

 planning so badly.? In Washington, last year, an attendance of 

 150 members of the Microscopical Society was confidently pre- 

 dicted and expected by the managers. Only 34 members regis- 

 tered, and a third of those belonged here. Why string out 15 or 

 30 papers over four days and read them before less th'an a score 

 of listeners .'' Several sections of the A. A. A. S. draw audiences 

 of treble that size. 



Gentlemen, arrange your next meeting to be held on Monday 



