January 3, 1913] 



SCIENCE 



25 



with a feathery coagulum. When the tube 

 was moved, the coagulum separated from wall 

 of the tube and settled to the bottom, leaving 

 the solution in the tube perfectly clear. 

 Further exposure of 20 hours produced only 

 one or two scarcely visible masses of coagu- 

 lum in the clear solution above the coagulum 

 at the bottom of the tube. The solution con- 

 tained, however, an abundance of albumin 

 which could be coagulated by heat. 



4. Experiments with Ox-serum. — The se- 

 rum was prepared by allowing a clot to form 

 and then decanting off the clear liquid. A 

 portion of this was placed in a quartz test tube 

 and exposed to the light at room temperature. 

 As in the other cases a coagulum formed in 

 the quartz tube while none formed in the 

 glass tube which was exposed at the same time. 



The coagulum produced by the light in egg- 

 white and egg-albumin is insoluble in alcohol, 

 hot or cold water and dilute acids. It is sol- 

 uble in dilute alkalies. In these respects it 

 agrees with the ordinary coagulum which is 

 produced by heat without exposure to ultra- 

 violet light. 



W. T. BoviE 



Laboratory op Plant Physiology, 

 Harvard UNn^ERsiTY 



ASTSONOMICAL AND ASTB0P3TSICAL' 

 SOCIETY OF AMEEICA 



The fourteenth meeting of this society was 

 held at the Allegheny Observatory and the Schen- 

 ley Hotel, Pittsburgh, from Tuesday to Friday, 

 August 27-31, 1912. Sessions were held at the 

 Observatory on Tuesday and Wednesday, the after- 

 noon of Wednesday being occupied by the exer- 

 cises of dedication of the new observatory. On 

 Thursday and Friday sessions were held at the 

 Sehenley Hotel. An excursion to the Homestead 

 Steel Plant of the Carnegie Steel Company, and a 

 visit to the Carnegie Institute added much to the 

 pleasure of the meeting. 



The following members were in attendance: 

 A. T. G. Apple, E. H. Baker, L. A. Bauer, B. 

 Boss, J. A. Brashear, Miss Annie J. Cannon, G. C. 

 Comstock, Z. Daniel, H. S. Davis, A. E. Douglass, 

 W. S. Eichelberger, Philip Fox, Edgar Frisby, 

 Miss Caroline Furness, William Gaertner, Miss A. 

 M. Harwood, F. C. Jordan, T. A. Lawes, F. B. 

 Littell, E. J. MeDiarmid, J. B. McDowell, D. B. 



Marsh, J. A. Miller, O. L. Petitdidier, E. C. Pick 

 ering, J. S. Plaskett, A. W. Quimby, H. Eaymond, 

 E. D. Eoe, Jr., H. B. Eumrill, F. Sehlesinger, W, 

 L. Scalfe, H. Shapley, A. N. Skinner, F. Slocum 

 Elliott Smith, C. E. St. John, DeLisle Stewart. 

 E. M. Stewart, Miss Helen M. Swartz, S. D. Thaw, 

 Miss Stella May Udick, C. E. VanOrstrand, Miss 

 Sarah F. Whiting. 



Visiting astronomers: Louise S. Smith, A. van 

 Maanen. 



The following new members were elected: Miss 

 Stella May Udick, Messrs. Harry Eaymond, James 

 Hartness, Arthur Newton, Henry G. Gale, David 

 Eines, E. S. Haynes, William L. Scaife, James B. 

 McDowell. 



The constitution of the society was amended to 

 provide for the election of honorary members. 

 In accordance with the provisions of the amend- 

 ment, nominations were received. Sir David GUI 

 was unanimously elected the first honorary member 

 of the society. 



The council voted to hold no meeting in the 

 summer of 1913, because of the probable absence 

 of a number of the members in attendance at the 

 Solar Union meeting at Bonn. The next meeting 

 will be in Cleveland during the holidays, 1912, in 

 connection with the American Association for the 

 Advancement of Science. The council voted to 

 hold the 1914 summer meeting at Northwestern 

 University and the 1915 meeting in San Francisco 

 and at the Lick Observatory. 

 Officers were elected: 



President — E. C. Pickering. 



First Vice-president — G. C. Comstock. 



Second Vice-president — Frank Sehlesinger. 



Secretary — Philip Fox. 



Treasurer — Miss Annie J. Cannon. 



Councillors 1912-19H—W. W. Campbell, E. 

 B. Frost. 

 The councillors who continue to serve are: 



Councillors 1911-1913— W. S. Eichelberger, 

 J. S. Plaskett. 

 Abstracts of the committee reports and forty- 

 six papers which were read follow: 

 Irregularities in Atmospheric Befraction: Frank 



SCHLESINGER. 



This investigation was suggested by the recent 

 work of Nusl and Fric at Prague, who found 

 evidence of irregularities in refraction in a period 

 that is roughly one minute, and having consid- 

 erable amplitude. At the present author's request 

 Professor Slocum, of the Yerkes Observatory, 

 kindly secured with the 40-inch refractor a number 



