22 
POPULAR SCIENCE NEWS. 
[Febrhaey, 1891. 
©he ©tit-Door ^orld. 
Edited by HARLAN II. BALLARD, 
President of the Agassiz Association. 
[P. O. Address, Pittsfield, Mass.] 
For two or three months the usual reports 
from our Chapters have been crowded out, owing 
to the pressure of matters of special importance. 
Now that our courses of correspondence study are 
smoothly running, — Professor Guttenberg having 
more than seven hundred enthusiastic pupils at 
work on his course in mineralogy ; — now that our 
prize for personal observations has been awarded ; 
our arrangements for making Popular Science 
News our "oflScial organ'" completed; and now 
that everybody has once more been duly informed 
of the objects and methods of the Agassiz Asso- 
ciation, and cordially invited to unite with us, — 
we listen again with pleasure, not unmixed with 
gratitude and pride, to the accounts of the excel- 
lent work which our numerous branch societies 
are doing. We cannot give all the reports, — not 
even all the excellent ones, — but shall select from 
month to month those which, on the whole, seem 
best fitted to lielp all our members by their sug- 
gestions, and to animate us all by their earnest 
spirit. To have a report printed in these columns 
may therefore be considered a special compliment, 
and an honor for which every Chapter should 
earnestly compete. No special favor shall be 
shown to Chapters strong in numbers and means, 
but the smallest and weakest branch shall have an 
equal chance, the criterion being merely the faith- 
fulness and honesty of the effort made by each. 
SELECTED REPORTS OF CHAPTERS. 
702, Kingston, N. Y., [A]. — We have continued 
our meetings, gained two new members, studied 
moUusks and crustaceans, and made a good begin- 
ning in botany. Vi'e investigated one field, where, 
apparently, nothing but clover was growing, and 
we succeeded in finding more than twenty differ- 
ent plants. — K. B. Forsyth. 
[Patient observation is always rewarded, no 
matter how limited the field chosen. There is not 
a square foot of the earth's surface which will not 
yield rich and surprising results to anyone who 
will keep his eyes on it for a half an hour with 
intelligent attention. As an experiment, I once 
marked off a bit of a dry pasture as large as could 
be covered by my handkerchief, and laj' down in 
the summer sunshine to see what could be seen. 
Within fifteen minutes I had been delighted by 
the unsuspected beauty of half a dozen tiny flow- 
ers; had for the first time discovered one of the 
curious altida', oi- "jumping spiders," whose ath- 
letic feats easily break all collegiate "records;" 
and had seen a grasshopper nibble off several 
blades of grass in a manner to me new and sur- 
prising. Who will try this simple experiment, 
keep a careful record of his observations, and 
report the result? — Ed.] 
ance? We should like answers from all who have 
succeeded.— Ed.] 
709, Philadelphia, Penn., [Z]. — During our first 
year a great deal of interest was felt in the welfare 
of our Chapter ; meetings were held regularly, and 
each member was required to read an essay on 
some scientific subject. The next year the interest 
decreased; one member withdrew, and another 
ceased to attend the meetings. Since then we 
have attended lectures on botany, geology, and 
chemistry, and one member has taken a year's 
course in geology. If you consider our work 
satisfactory, we will continue. — Mary Reilly, Sec. 
[Continue, by all means. All honest work is 
satisfactory. The cause of a decline in interest, 
however, in this case, is plainly to be found in the 
fact that your work has been studying about what 
someone else has seen, rather than in going about 
to see something yourselves. It is dull work to 
read or listen to essays or lectures on scientific 
subjects, compared to the interest of learning far 
fewer and simpler facts by your own observation. 
I had rather watch an industrious ant or spider 
for an hour, noting down just what I see him try- 
ing to do, than to read a whole library of accounts 
of what somebody else has seen them do. It's 
more fun, and one learns more. The interest 
attaching to such work never declines, but always 
grows stronger while life lasts. — Ed.] 
703, Ripon, Wis., [A]. — Our society is not yet 
fully organized, l)ut we have done some work in 
preserving fungi, endeavoring to preserve their 
original appearance. Jn this we have been fairly 
successful. — Mrs. C. T. Tracy. 
[ I would suggest as a general hint, that, in all 
such cases as this, the experiments made be fully 
set forth in the report, and the best means of 
accomplishing the result given for the benefit of 
our readers. 'I1ie question is. How can fungi be 
preserved so as to preserve their original appear- 
711, Glen Falls, N. Y., [A].— Pleasant and in- 
structive lectures were given by Professor Wil- 
liams during the fall and winter terms on astron- 
omy, and during the spring on botany. The work 
done by the Chapter was in these lines, with the 
addition of a few readings in geology. The tele- 
scope was often brought into use, and the names 
and positions of the more prominent constella- 
tions learned, together with enlarged ideas of the 
immensity of space and time, of the distance, 
magnitude, and motion of stars. Agassiz's birth- 
day was celebrated by a field-day. Tlie number 
of meetings held during the year is thirty-two. 
We have commenced the year's work with in- 
creased interest and attendance, and for our win- 
ter's work are to study the practical applications 
of natural science as illustrated by the various 
industries of our town. — Professor Charles L. 
Williams, Pres. ; Frances T. E. Boyd, Sec. 
[This report again illustrates the importance of 
innnediate contact with the objects of our study 
through the senses. Lectures on astronomy are 
here wisely used to supplement the constant use 
of the telescope. The student sees the moons of 
Jupiter with his own eyes, and, after that, is ready 
to listen with attention to an account of what 
special students with superior instruments have 
been able to learn about them. The result is, of 
course, " increased interest and attendance." This 
result follows this method as naturally and neces- 
sarily as darkness accompanies an eclipse. — Ed.] 
would be, for instance, to have an account of the 
minerals found about Athens, in addition to the 
fact that the Chapter has been studying thein. 
Remember tliat those who read our reports read 
for information about the minerals, animals, and 
plants quite as much as for news of the Cliapter's 
activity.— Ed.] 
728, Binghamton, N. Y., [A], — We are now 
holding regular meetings on each Friday evening. 
We have eight members. We are studying Shaler's 
geology, and anticipate a pleasant winter's work. 
On March 8 we observed a curious rainbow. At 
sunrise the air was very cold, and a great mass of 
vapor rose from the river. The sim shining on 
this made the bow, or rather caused the prismatic 
colors to appear in a periiendicular band. When 
the mist had risen to a certain height, it was con- 
densed, and fell in a very fine snow, which cov- 
ered the ground for some distance on each side of 
the river.— Willard N. Clute, Sec. 
[ For several years " 728 " has been one of our 
most active Chapters. Although this report con- 
tains only one of the observations made during 
the year, it will prove more interesting than a 
mere statement of the general condition of the 
Chapter. It would be a good plan for each Chap- 
ter to have an "observation-book" or a box, in 
which the members sliould place from day to day 
a brief record "of their observations. From the 
material thus accumulated the Secretary could 
compile a most valuable report at the end of the 
year. Any notes of special importance should be 
forwarded to the President at once, however, as it is 
well to have our notes as fresh as possible. — Ed.] 
713, Athens, O., [A].— Most of our time has 
been devoted to the study of the minerals of this 
region, and to the study of the anatomy of differ- 
ent animals, all of which has been carried on 
under the supervision of Professor Morrill. We 
have made interesting excursions in search of 
specimens. We have six members at present, and 
meet in Professor Morrill's recitation-room. — Ben 
Cornwall, Pres. ; Murray Dalton, Sec. 
[ This Chapter is doing excellent work, to which 
this report does scant justice. We recommend to 
all Secretaries to give as many details of their 
Chapter's work as possible. How interesting it 
736, Oilman, 111., [A]. — We have not been idle. 
We have enlarged our collections. Our ornitholo- 
gists liave made a list of 127 species of birds which 
frequent this county. In botany we had a very 
good summer's work. Our members have all 
increased their private collections. A new mem- 
ber, Mr. Bostwick, has joined this section of the 
Chapter. He has been for years an enthusiastic 
student of plants, and has the finest herbarium 
in Iroquois (,'ounty. It numbers 568 specimens, 
nearly all of which have been secured within a 
radius of ten miles from his home. We have 
added to our library "Jordan's Manual of the 
Vertebrates," "Dana's Mineralogy," "Orton's 
Comparative Zoology," various National and 
State reports, and the "Proceedings of the Na- 
tional Museum." Wishing the A. A. success and 
continued prosperity, we remain, yours truly, 
W. A. Crooks, Sec. ; F. H- Crooks, Pres. 
[This wish for the continued prosperity of the 
A. A. comes with especial grace from a Chapter 
whose excellent work is doing so much to insure 
that prosi)erity. The success of the Agassiz Asso- 
ciation is nothing but the success of its Chapters, 
and no Chapter can in any way increase the gen- 
eral prosperity so well as by doing its best in its 
own liome field. On the other hand, those Chap- 
ters which are most faithful in their own work are 
always found to take the deepest interest in the 
general welfare of the A. A.— Ed.] 
739, I-edyard, Conn., [A].— Although I am left 
as tlie sole representative of our Chapter, my 
interest in observing nature does not lessen. For 
two years I have kept a little book in which to 
note the arrival of the flowers and birds in the 
spring, and other observations as the seasons pass. 
It is interesting to compare the notes of these two 
years, and the comparison will be more interesting 
the longer the plan is followed. Can anyone tell 
