196 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. IX. No. 215. 



them, in 1893, to determine the ratio of the 

 specific heats, at constant pressure and 

 volume, for air, oxj'gen, carbon dioxide and 

 hydrogen has now so far progressed that 

 the memoir submitted by Drs. Lnmmer 

 and Pringsheim, noting the results already 

 attained by them, has been published by 

 the Institution in the Smithsonian Contri- 

 butions to Knowledge. 



A German edition of this original me- 

 moir, with the consent of the Institution, 

 is to be published by the authors, and it is 

 understood that, if found desirable, their 

 researches will be further prosecuted under 

 the direction of the Physikalisch-Tech- 

 nische Reichsanstalt, of Berlin, Professor 

 Dr. Kohlrausch, the President, having 

 courteously signified the readiness of that 

 institution to furnish the means necessary 

 for the purpose. 



In February, 1898, an additional grant 

 was made to Mr. E. C. C. Baly, of Uni- 

 versity College, London, to enable him to 

 continue his research upon the decomposi- 

 tion of the atmosphere by electricity and 

 upon the ozonizing of mercury. The report 

 of Mr. Baly stating the result of these inves- 

 tigations is now awaited by the Institution. 



A grant of $250 to Professor Arthur G. 

 Webster, of Clark University, Worcester, 

 Mass., was approved in May, 1898, for the 

 continuation of a research on the properties 

 of air in connection with the propagation of 

 sound, special efibrt being directed to the 

 securing of data relating to the influence of 

 the viscosity of air on expiring or vanishing 

 sounds. An instrument devised by Profes- 

 sor Webster for use in this investigation 

 gives the physical measure of sound, not 

 only when constant, but when rapidly vary- 

 ing. It is expected that this research will 

 furnish results of high practical value in 

 connection with the question of the acou- 

 stics of auditoriums, and will contribute 

 information upon points that have not 

 heretofore been satisfactorily investigated. 



A paper embodying the results of the in- 

 teresting research, described in the Secre- 

 tary's report for 1894, primarily conducted 

 under a grant from the Hodgkins fund to 

 Dr. J. S. Billings and Dr. S. Weir Mitchell, 

 and continued, under their supervision, by 

 Dr. D. H. Bergej^ of the Laboratory of 

 Hygiene, University of Pennsylvania, has 

 been published in the Smithsonian Miscel- 

 laneous Collections. 



NAPLES TABLE. 



Among the applications for the occu- 

 pancy of the Smithsonian seat at the Na- 

 ples table during the years 1897-98, the 

 following have been favorably acted upon : 



Dr. Bradley M. Martin, of the University 

 of Chicago, whose work has been chiefly in 

 the field of the algae, and who has pub- 

 lished several papers detailing his re- 

 searches, was appointed for November, 

 1897, his period at Naples to be supple- 

 mented by additional investigation in the 

 laboratory of Dr. Strasburger, of the Uni- 

 versity at Bonn. 



Dr. H. W. Conn, of the department of 

 biology, Wesleyan University, received the 

 appointment for six weeks early in the year 

 1898 ; Dr. Dohrn, the Superintendent of the 

 station, kindly arranging for his accommo- 

 dation, although the Smithsonian table was 

 occupied at that time. The fact that Dr. 

 Dohrn finds himself not only willing, but 

 able, to provide for two or, as in this case, 

 even three students at the Smithsonian 

 table during the same period is a courtesy 

 much appreciated by the Institution. 



Dr. D. M. Mottier, of the State Univer- 

 sity of Indiana, who wished to supplement 

 his investigations at Bonn and Leipzig by 

 some weeks at Naples, was appointed for 

 the months of March and April, 1898. 



Dr. W. T. Swingle, of the United States 

 Department of Agriculture, now honorary 

 custodian of algse in the United States Na- 

 tional Museum, occupied the Smithsonian 



