March 3, 1899.] 



SCIENCE. 



323 



are retained in the Council for one year 

 after retirement. 



The following papers were read at the 

 meeting : 



Pkofessok M. I. PUPIN 

 on a loaded conductor.' 



' Electrical oscillations 



Professok Maxime Bocher : ' An elementary 

 proof that Bessel's functions of the zerotli order 

 have an infinite number of real roots.' 



Professor J. M. Peiece : ' Determinants of 

 quaternions. ' 



Professor Henry Tabee : ' The chief theorem 

 of the theory of finite continuous groups.' 



Professor Alexander Maoparlane : 'On 

 the imaginary of geometry.' 



Professor Edgar Odell Lovett : ' On a cer- 

 tain class of differential invariants.' 



Professor James Pierpont : ' On arithmetiz- 

 ing mathematics.' 



Dr. Viroil Snyder : ' Lines of curvature on 

 annular surfaces having two spherical direc- 

 trices. ' 



Professor W. F. Osgood : ' On a continuous 

 function of a real variable whose derivative can- 

 not be integrated. ' 



(10) Professor Ernest W. Brown : 'On the prog- 

 ress of the calculations in the new lunar theory. 



(11) Professor M. I. Pupin : 'Lagrange's equa- 

 tions and the principle of equality of action.' 



(12) Professor E. B. Van Vleck : 'On the deter- 

 mination of a series of Sturm's functions by the 

 computation of a single determinant.' 



(13) Dr. G. a. Miller : 'On the primitive groups 

 of degree 17.' 



(14) Dr. L. E. Dickson : 'Concerning the abelian 

 and hypoabelian groups. ' 



(15) Dr. F. H. S afford : 'Surfaces of revolution in 

 the theory of Lamp's products.' 



(16) Dr. D. F. Campbell : 'On linear differential 

 equations of the third and fourth orders in 

 whose solutions exist certain homogeneous re- 

 lations. ' 



(17) Me. E. R. Hedrick : 'On three-dimensional 

 determinants.' 



(18) Dr. G. H. Ling: 'An examination of groups 

 whose orders lie between 1093 and 2000.' 



(19) Professor A. G. Webster: 'Traces illus- 

 trating the motion of the top.' 



The next meeting of the Society will be 

 held on Saturday, April 29th. The Chicago 

 Section meets at the University of Chicago 

 on Saturday, April 1st. 



F. ]Sr. Cole, 

 Secretary. 



THE NOMENCLATVBE OF THE HYOID IN 

 BIRDS. 



The hyoid apparatus of birds is so sim- 

 ple a structure, one so long known and so 

 well studied, that it would naturally be sup- 

 posed anatomists might agree upon the 

 names of its component parts. Those 

 who have occasion to refer to anatomical 

 text-books, however, are well aware that 

 there is a surprising, not to say bewilder- 

 ing, variation in the nomenclature used by 

 different authors, as a glance at the accom- 

 panying figure and table of names will 

 make apparent. 



It is quite evident that all of these names 

 cannot be correct, and a little reflection will 

 show some of the changes that are certainly 

 needed, and others that probably should 

 be made. Taking the last first, let us con- 

 sider that part, B, termed urohyal by 

 Mivart and Gadow. The urohyal of fishes 

 is a membrane bone developed beneath the 

 anterior portion of the branchial arches ; 

 hence, it is quite evident that the name 

 cannot be consistently applied to a carti- 

 lage bone at the posterior end of the 

 branchial apparatus, and that Parker's 

 term, second basibranchial, should stand. 

 Equally simple is the case of the paired 

 bones, D, called basibranchials by Gadow 

 and hypobranchials by Beddard. Basi- 

 branchials are unpaired bones developed in 

 the median line, and the term is inapplica- 

 ble to paired bones lying on either side of 

 an unpaired basal bone. As for hypo- 

 branchials, these are among the first seg- 



