628 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. IX. No. 226. 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. 



THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCE- 

 MENT OF SCIENCE. 



The spring meeting of the Council of the 

 American Association for the Advancement of 

 Science was held April 18, in Washington, D. C. 



The Permanent Secretary, Dr. L. O. Howard, 

 presented for the information of the Council an 

 account of the operations of his office since the 

 last Council meeting. He also presented his 

 financial statement for the last half of the year 

 1898, which was approved and ordered to be 

 printed. He announced that a contract had 

 been signed which provided for the printing of 

 the Volume of the Proceedings of the Associa- 

 tion for 1899 by the Chemical Publishing Com- 

 pany of Easton, Pa. 



A number of matters relating to the Colum- 

 bus meeting the coming August were discussed. 

 The Council expressed its preference in favor 

 of Saturday, August 26th, as the day upon 

 which the all-day excursion should be given, 

 and further, in order that the scientific sessions 

 should not be interrupted, passed a resolution 

 expressing its desire that afternoon excursions 

 and other social functions should not be ar- 

 ranged by the Local Committee to begin before 

 4 o'clock in the afternoon. It was decided to 

 hold the final public meeting of the Association 

 on Friday night and the meeting of the Nomi- 

 nating Committee on Thursday night. Inas- 

 much as some dissatisfaction had been expressed 

 with the plan adopted at the Boston meeting of 

 doing away with the general morning sessions, 

 it was decided to resume these daily sessions at 

 10 o'clock each morning, confining the busi- 

 ness, however, to a consideration of matters 

 emanating from the Council and limiting their 

 duration to half an hour. 



The Permanent Secretary was authorized to 

 invite Mr. Elihu Thomson to deliver the public 

 lecture at the Columbus meeting. 



The Chairman of the Committee on Associa- 

 tion Badge reported progress and submitted de- 

 signs. 



An application from Professor C. B. Daven- 

 port, of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, 

 Cambridge, Mass., for an appropriation from 

 the Research Fund of $50 to enable Mr. Charles 

 C. Adams to visit the headwaters of the Ten- 



nessee River to collect shells for the genus To 

 for the purpose of a specific study of variation 

 was referred to the Committee on Grants, with 

 power to act. 



GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WORK IN ALASKA. 



The Secretary of the Interior has approved 

 plans submitted by Director Walcott, of the 

 Geological Survey, for the continuation of sur- 

 veys iu Alaska during the summer of 1899. 

 It is proposed that one party, to consist of Mr. 

 W. J. Peters, topographer in charge, and Mr. 

 Alfred H. Brooks, assistant geologist, and 

 equipped with pack animals and outfit, shall 

 proceed from Chilkat Inlet, along the northern 

 side of St. Elias Range, to the head of White 

 River, and conduct such explorations as may 

 be feasible to locate the sources of the Copper, 

 Tanana and Nabesna Rivers. Between the 

 Tanana and the Yukon there is a range of 

 mountains composed largely of the gold-bear- 

 ing schists. Although quite extensively pros- 

 pected, but little is known of this range. The 

 explorations will be by the most feasible route 

 to Eagle City and thence westward within the 

 area between the Tanana and the Yukon. It 

 is expected that the party will reach a point on 

 the Yukon in September, and return by the 

 way of St. Michael or, if more advantageous, by 

 way of Dawson. 



The second party, consisting of Mr. F. C. 

 Schrader, assistant geologist, and a topographer, 

 will proceed down the Yukon to Fort Yukon, 

 and from there carry forward explorations 

 northward toward the Koyukuk. The object 

 of this party is to explore the principal waters 

 of the Koyukuk within the Arctic Circle. As 

 the region is almost unknown, the special route 

 to be traversed will be left to the discretion of 

 the head of the party. The equipment of the 

 party is to consist of canoes of the same type as 

 those used in the explorations during the field 

 season of 1898. It is expected that the party 

 will return down the Koyukuk to the Yukon 

 and out by the way of St. Michael. 



The plans have been developed as a result of 

 thorough discussion by the members of the 

 Survey familiar with explorations in Alaska 

 and the resources of the Territory. 



W. F. M. 



