664 MINUTES. [Dec. 7, 
the fortune of its position, but to its own self-preserving thickness. 
Of the northern snows, on the other hand, what is left over from 
year to year owes its conservation solely to latitude. Thus the sur- 
vival of the little snow that is left at the southern pole, instead of 
proving the potency of the eccentricity, actually accentuates its impo- 
tence. Were it not for the presence of the lowlands with the in- 
creased moisture they gather and bequeath, there would be no eter- 
nal snow around the southern pole at all. 
32. Thus this second characteristic of the polar patches, the 
centring of the one, the eccentring of the other, corroborates and 
enforces the testimony borne by the maxima and minima. For it 
shows that the minima are in truth more accentuated than they ap- 
pear to be. The little minimum at the south pole would vanish 
entirely every year, instead of sporadically, were it not for local 
causes. 
33. Our survey of the Martian polar caps, then, leads us to some 
curious conclusions. It starts with apparent contradiction of 
Croll’s theory, to end in final confirmation of it. It comes to curse 
and stays to bless. But it does more. It shows that eccentricity 
of orbit by itself not only causes no universal glaciation, but 
actually produces on occasion the opposite result in more than off- 
setting by summer proximity what winter distance brings about. 
Eccentricity needs water and a great store of it as handmaid before 
its glacial work can be accomplished. Could our earth but get rid 
of its oceans, we, too, might have temperate regions stretching to 
the poles. 
Stated Meeting, December 7, 1900. 
Vice-President WIsTAR in the Chair. 
Present, 138 members. 
A communication was made by R. W. Shufeldt, M.D., 
‘¢ On the Osteology of the Striges.”’ 
‘he following annual reports were read : 
The Treasurer. 
The Curators. 
The Publication Committee. 
