100 
POPULAE SOIEN^CE KEWS. 
[July, 1891. 
©he ©ut-Dooi* ^orld. 
Edited by HARLAN H. BALLARD, 
President of the Agassiz Association. 
[P. O. Address, Pittsfield, Mass.] 
AN INTERESTING CONVENTION. 
The fourth annual convention of the Massachu- 
setts Assembly of the Agassiz Association was 
held at Middlesex Fells, Wyoming, Mass., May 30. 
Many anxious glances were turned toward the sky 
on Friday, for it looked as if a storm was gather- 
ng ; but Saturday morning was more promising, 
although " Old Prob " said " showers." A special 
car was chartered on the 10.25 train from Boston. 
A charming walk of three-quarters of a mile from 
Wyoming station brought the delegates to Spot 
Pond, where they found a beautiful and — what 
was even more to the purpose — dry grove. Every 
thing went off finely. The addresses were good, 
the luncheon was good, — as it ought to be, being 
served by Dill of Melrose, — everyone was enthusi 
astic. Only the drones staid at homej afraid of 
the weather. 
At 11.30 Mr. Warren Upham delivered a "Me- 
morial Tribute to Agassiz." He spoke of four 
perpetual memorials of the great scientist: 1st, 
the boulder that marks his grave at Mt. Auburn ; 
2d, Agassiz Museum at Cambridge ; 3d, the Agas- 
siz Association; 4th, Lake Agassiz, that great 
glacial lake in the wheat-fields of Minnesota. 
The afternoon address was by Dr. Fred Gage, 
of the Harvard Veterinary School, on "The Evo- 
lution of the Horse." 
The reports from the Chapters of the State were 
encouraging ; all had done good work. 
Tlie evening camp-flre was a great success. 
About sixty deleg.ates were present. 
The officers elected for the ensuing year are as 
follows : 
President— E. P. Williams, Boston. 
Vice-Presidents— Prof. E. A. Hartwell, Fitchburg; Prof. 
C. E. Bennett, Pittsneld; W. P. MacCarthy, Taunton. 
Secretary— Helen M. Howes, Hyde Park. 
Treasurer— George F. Perry, Melrose. 
Executive Board— Howard M. Ballou, Boston; Thomas 
H. Fay, Boston; Belle P. Gowlng, Reading; Sophie Wasli- 
burn, West Bridgewater; Edmund Woodman, Andover; 
Mrs. Ella F. Boyd, Hyde Park. 
CONVENTION NOTES. 
The diplomas for best work during the year 
were gracefully awarded by President Hall, the 
first to Chapter 29, Boston, (B) ; the second to 
Chapter 591, Hyde Park, (A) ; the third to Chap- 
ter 678, Taunton, (C). 
Pleasant letters were received from sister As- 
semblies in New York, Now Jersey, Piiiladelphia, 
and California. 
Fourteen Chapters responded to the call for a 
report of the year's work. 
ITie " Field-Day Convention " was a success. 
ITie address of welcome by R. P. Williams, and 
the response by Prof. E. Adams Hartwell, were 
particularly appropiiate and graceful. 
Universal regret was felt that the President of 
the A. A. was detained from the Convention by 
illness. 
The evening reception by the new officers was a 
pleasing innovation. 
It is suggested that the Assembly may ere long 
profitably undertake to map the State of Massa- 
chusetts, geologically, botanically, and zoologi- 
cally, each Chapter doing its part. DifTereut sec- 
tions could meet quarterly to compare notes and 
render mutual assistance, and each Chapter should 
return monthly reports to tlie General Secretary 
to be circulated throughout the State. 
The delegates separated with a firm determi- 
nation to "wake up the whole State" before 
another year is ended. 
Much of the credit for the success of this Con- 
vention is due to the enthusiastic and untiring 
efforts of the Secretary, Mrs. Ella F. Boyd, of 
Hyde Park. 
It has been proposed that the next Convention 
meets at Harvard College, where, if anywhere, 
the spirit of Louis Agassiz still lingers upon 
earth. 
+»t • 
A. A. CORRESPONDING GEOLOGICAL 
CHAPTER. 
The first annual report of our Corresponding 
Geological Chapter is very gratifying. The Chap- 
ter has also issued a very neat printed report of 
its work, for circulation among its members. 
Here is the report : 
Chapter 551, Buffalo, N. Y.— This Chapter was 
organized February 20, 1890, with sixteen char- 
ter members, and on the first of May this year 
we had thirty-one active members. By the word 
"active" we mean workers, as there are no 
drones in our Chapter, for each and every member 
must report every three months the result of his 
observation. To cover a large territory and get 
the benefit of the labor and investigation of work- 
ers in geology and kindred sciences in various parts 
of the country, this Corresponding Cliapter was 
formed, and with grand results. We have mem- 
bers who are investigating that vast and rich field 
of fossils. New York; and reports from that re- 
gion are a feast to those whose work has been 
confined to the eruptive and metamorphic rocks 
of Eastern Massachusetts, where a fossil is a rar- 
ity. From other members we get valuable infor- 
mation in regard to the gas and oil fields of 
Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. Again our in- 
terest is centered on the description of some pe- 
culiar phenomena of Soutli Dakota or California ; 
and not less interesting are the reports from Con- 
necticut, New Jersey, Maryland, or Georgia. We 
have members at all points of the compass, from 
the "Great Lakes" to the Gulf, and from the At- 
lantic to the Pacific. We already have members 
in thirteen States of the Union, and are repre- 
sented in Nova Scotia. We have communications 
of great commercial interest, showing the econo- 
mic uses of building and manufacturing products, 
ore-])earing rocks, granite, sandstone, slate, lime, 
cement, oil gas, coal, etc. 
During tlie past year we have circulated eighty- 
three valuable reports ; valuable because they are 
the results of personal observation ; valuable be- 
cause of the minute detail into wliich they entei-, 
as our members in many eases have spent years 
in studying a limited territory. The reports 
cover all phases of geological phenomena, erup- 
tive and sedimentary formations, fossils, miner- 
als, metamorphism, disintegration, erosion, de- 
position, eftects of the drift, .action of the ice, 
and, in fact, all questions relating to geological 
history. Geology teaches tlie earth's liistory ; it 
teaches of all the organisms which have existed 
in the past. To be a thorougli geologist, one 
should be acquainted with chemistry and miner- 
alogy, and it is well to know something of 
physics and geometry ; it is also of great advan- 
tage to be a paleontologist as well as a botanist, 
zoologist, and conchologist. What a field we have 
for study ! 
We have members in all walks of life, from the 
professor of natural history to tlie mechanic. 
We have both teachers and scholars; and when 
teachers are interested in the study of nature, 
what may not tlieir influence be on the pupils in 
their charge? We shall never know how far- 
reaching the influence of our labor may be. 
Some of our members have contributed to scien- 
tific literature, and some have given the results of 
their researches on the lecture j^latform. Pro- 
fessor Barrows who last year was President, and 
Mr. A. W. Grabau who was General Secretary 
have both on account of pressing duties ])eeu 
obliged to decline, a re-election, but they are l)oth 
members of the executive council and are as in- 
terested as ever in the work. We have every 
reason to feel proud of our Chapter as a whole. 
All who are interested in geology, mineralogy or 
paleontology are cordially invited to join us. 
'J'he officers for 1891 are : 
President— Frederick A. Vogt, 844 Genesee street, Buffalo, 
N. T. 
General Secretary— George F. Perry, Melrose, Mass. 
Treasurer— Miss Isabella S. Deane, 45 Park street, Buf- 
falo, N. T. 
Executive Council— Amadeus W. Grabau, Society of Nat- ' 
ural History, Boston, Mass.; Franklin W. Barrows, High ■ 
School, Buffalo, N. Y. 
Division Secretaries— 
A— Mrs. E. F. Boyd, 118 Hyde Park avenue, Hyde Park, 
Mass. 
»— E. T. Liefeld, 32 Cottage street, New Haven, Ct. 
C— D. F. Lincoln, M. D., Geneva, N. Y. 
D— Franklin W. Barrows, High School, Buffalo, N. Y. 
E— Horace W. Britcher, Box 350, J. H. U., Baltimore, Md. 
F— Mrs. C. M. Winston, Forreston, 111. 
George F. Perry, Secretary, 
Melrose, Mass. 
— *♦* 
WILSON ORNITHOLOGICAL CHAFrER. 
The President of the Ornithological Corres-l 
ponding Chapter has been unable for some timc^jS 
on account of illness, to answer communications ¥ 
regarding tlie Chapter. He has now liappily re- : 
covered his health, and is anxious to see the 
Chapter once more take its position by the side ol 
the Gray Memorial Chapter, the Isaac Lee Memo^ 
rial Chapter, and the Corresponding Geological 
Chapter. All who are interested in this liranch 
are invited to address Mr. J. B. Richards, Box 
332, Fall River, Mass. 
By tlie way is there not room for a wide- 
awake Corresponding Entomological Chapter? 
OUR FRIENDS IN RUSSIA. 
Our Russian members are enthusiastic and ac- 
tive. Madame Fedchenko's list of plants is at- 
tracting favorable attention to her faitliful work; 
and other members are making full local collec- 
tions of Russian insects and birds. 
In a recent number of one of the leading Uu8-.i 
sian magazines, Mr. B. Lessevitch has an article \ 
on the Agassiz .Association. It looks very inter- • 
esting in its quaint dress of Itussian type, l)ut the ' 
only words of it we can read are "Association' 
Agassiz," "Popular Science News," and our 
address. 
*♦» 
Speaking of Popular Science News, tli 
middle of the year has come, and we have not ye| 
secured the requisite number of subscribers fo 
our paper. 'J'ry once more, please. The jourua 
is really worth much more than one dollar to any| 
one who reads it. 
NOTES FROM HALIFAX. 
I THOUGHT it might interest you to know soini 
of our local names for well-known plantaj 
(!heckerberry is licre called "tea-berry"; pa^ 
tridge-berry is called "snake-berry"; and as foi 
