Record. Ixxv 



Professor F. E. Nipher made some remarks on the diflScult- 

 ies yet involved in the theories of the ether. 



October 18, 1897. 



Vice-President Engler in the chair, twelve persons present. 



The Secretary presented in abstract a paper by Frank 

 Collins Baker, entitled The molluscan fauna of Western New 

 York. 



Professor H. A. Hunicke gave an informal account of 

 recent progress in our knowledge of the constitution of steel, 

 treating the subject from a chemical and microscopical 

 standpoint. 



November 1, 1897. 



President Gray in the chair, twenty-six persons present. 



Dr. G. Hambach gave an interesting account of his impres- 

 sions of the Hawaiian Islands, which he visited last summer, 

 exhibiting a number of photographs, and some specimens of 

 lava. 



Dr. C. Barck gave a description of the volcano Haleakala 

 and an account of his ascent of it. 



November 15, 1897. 



Vice-President Engler in the chair, six other members and 

 one guest present. 



Professor F. E. Nipher presented informally some of the 

 results of his recent experiments on the stability of a pivotally 

 mounted sheet in an air stream. He stated that he had used 

 two surfaces, each having a vertical dimension of one foot, 

 pivotally mounted on a vertical axis, the horizontal dimension 

 of one surface being one foot and of the other forty-six and 

 one-half inches. These pressure planes were exposed on the 

 roof of a moving box car. It was stated that the results 

 reached were very satisfactory, since the two planes gave 

 nearly identical results when the distance of the pivots from 

 the center was expressed in per cent, of the horizontal dimen- 

 sion. 



Mr. Trelease presented notice of a proposal to amend 



