204 



SCIENCE 



[Vol. LVI, No. 1442 



My first tliouglit in making these experiments 

 was that calcium is necessary for fertilization 

 on the assumption that in some way it holds 

 intact a substance loosely bound to the sperm 

 head which makes possible the reaction of the 

 sperm with the egg. Calcium free sea-water, 

 then, would bring about the loss of this sub- 

 stance and thus render fertilization impossible. 

 If, however, fertilization takes place in oxa- 

 lated sea-water, this assimiption is untenable. 



On the basis of Robertson's work, which 

 indicates that "fertilizing" substance can not 

 be extracted in presence of calcium, we might 

 conclude that the Nereis experiments here cited 

 show that the effect of boiling sperm in oxa- 

 lated sea-water is to extract a fertilizing sub- 

 stance from the sperm. This I do not believe 

 and for several considerations. 



Though hypertonicity is not responsible for 

 the results here reported, nevertheless, boiling 

 must certainly increase the salt content of the 

 oxalated sea-water. Again, any amount of 

 oxalate present above that necessary to remove 

 calcium must increase on boiling. Moreover, 

 in the sea-water itself chemical changes ensue 

 through boiling. And finally, on boiling, the 

 sperm perhaps lose specificity — they act as any 

 foreign colloid which may induce development. 



The results here reported might thus be due 

 to the total of these several factors each of 

 which alone is incapable of calling forth de- 

 velopment. I conclude, therefore, that the re- 

 sults here reported do not indicate that they 

 are due to a fertilizing substance extracted 

 from the sperm. 



E. E. Just 



Marine Biological Laboratory, 

 Woods Hole, Mass. 



THE WESTERN SOCIETY OF 

 NATURALISTS 



The annual meeting of the Western Society 

 of Naturalists was held in Salt Lake City, 

 Utah, June 22-23, 1922, during the convoca- 

 tion of the Pacific Division, American Asso- 

 ciation for the Advancement of Science. Pre- 

 siding officers were Dr. F. B. Sumner, presi- 

 dent, and Dr. J. F. McClendon, secretary pro 

 tern. 



The following officers were chosen at the 



annual election: H. S. Reed, president; Ches- 

 ter Stock, vice-president, and C. 0. Esterly, 

 secretary. 



The program presented was as follows : 



June 22 

 physiological papers 

 The occurrence of essential oils in desert 

 plants: Maxwell Adams. 



The influe/ice of temperature upon the germina- 

 tion of orange seed: H. S. Fawcett. 



Influence of gravity on the development of 



new growth on horizontal shoots: F. F. Halma. 



Mitosis in rhizopods and flagellates: C. A. 



KOFOID. 



Longevity of Artemia in natural and artificial 

 brines: E. G. Martin. 



Some quantitative aspects of growth: H. S. 

 Reed. 



Dendograph record of the redwood (with lan- 

 tern slides) : D. T. MacDougal. 



The occurrence of goitre in relation to the dis- 

 tribution of iodine: J. F. McClendon. 

 heredity and evolution 



The tioo chromosomes of Clarlcia: L. L. BuR- 

 lingame. 



Inheritance of flower color in ClarMo,: L. L. 

 Burlingame. 



The laio of geminate speoies: D. S. Jordan. 



Theories as to the mode of evolution: J. P. 



LOTSY. 



The origin and inheritance of specific charac- 

 ters: F. B. Sumner. 



Darwinism — an analysis by observation and 

 experiment : W. L. Tower. 



June 23 

 papers read in joint session with the 



ecological society of AMERICA 



The original grasslands of California: F. E. 

 Clements. 



Why not conserve the marine mammals of the 

 Pacific? B. "W. Evebmann. 



Factors limiting the distribution of Teredo 

 navalis in San Francisco Bay: C. A. Kofoid. 



Climate of the Inland Empire in relation te 

 silviculture and forest fires: J. A. Larsen. 



Food and game fishes of the Snalce Biver, Great 

 Basin: S. B. Locke. 



Wild bird life of the rookeries on the islands 

 of Great Salt Lake (with motion pictures) : C. G. 

 Plummer. 



A bog forest near Victoria: G. B. EiGG. 



Chester Stock, 



Secretary 



