Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



length of life depends upon race, climate, sanitary regula- 

 tions, medical science, etc. The schedules of the United 

 States Census contain all the data necessary for determining 

 the length of a generation, as the ages of fathers and sons 

 are given in such proximity that the relationship is obvious. 

 From a few examples the speaker had found the length of a 

 generation of males to be about thirty -two years. For 

 females, that is mother and daughter, it is less than thirty 

 years. 



Professor Nipher discussed in brief the latest results of his 

 work on direct and reversed photographs as embodied in his 

 paper presented for publication. 



Mr. Benjamin C. Adkins, of St. Louis, was elected to 

 active membership. 



One person was proposed for active membership. 



May 6, 1901. 



President Engler in the chair, twenty-two persons present. 



The Council reported that exchange relations with the 

 Cambridge Entomological Club had been discontinued. 



The Corresponding Secretary read a letter from Mr. Pierre 

 Chouteau, acknowledging the receipt of the memorial of the 

 late Charles P. Chouteau, adopted by the Academy. The 

 Corresponding Secretary also read a letter from Mr. Arthur 

 MacDonald, requesting the Academy's indorsement of the 

 proposed establishment, under the Department of the In- 

 terior, of a psycho-physical laboratory for medico-sociological 

 purposes. This was referred to the Council. The Corre- 

 sponding Secretary read a letter from Dr. Amos Sawyer, 

 accompanying a peculiar object appearing as if consisting of 

 soapstone and of a dark color, which had been found in the 

 Indian village from which objects exhibited at a recent meet- 

 ing of the Academy were taken. It was about three inches 

 long, and, a piece having been broken off at one end by 

 accident, it was seen to be hollow within, with an interior 

 core seemingly of hard yellow clay. Dr. Sawyer questioned 

 whether it might possibly have been a plaything of some 

 Indian child. 



