568 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVII. No. 954 



Of the 119 genera common to South Amer- 

 ica and the United States 39 per cent, are re- 

 corded also from both Central America and 

 the West Indies, 30 per cent, also from Cen- 

 tral America, 6 per cent, also from the West 

 Indies and 25 per cent, from neither. It is 

 probable that the latter percentage will be 

 greatly reduced by further exploration of the 

 intervening regions and by revisions of tax- 

 onomy by vehieh either these genera will be 

 split or species from intervening regions will 

 be united with them. However, such distribu- 

 tion is not unusual in other groups and can 

 not be discussed profitably more in detail with 

 this material. The following extreme illus- 

 trations from the Linyphiidae may be cited. 

 Gonatium with one species in Patagonia, two 

 in northern United States (one of them also 

 in Europe) and one in Greenland; Gongi/li- 

 dielhim (closely related to Goimiium) with 

 two species in Patagonia (one of them also in 

 Argentina) and three species from Maryland 

 to New York; and Minyriolus with one spe- 

 cies in Patagonia and one in Massachusetts. 

 It was noted above that only 6 per cent, of 

 the genera common to South America and 

 the United States are found elsewhere in the 

 West Indies, but not in Central America. 

 Leaving out of the question the fact that 

 these may eventually be found in Central 

 America, it is evident that the West Indies 

 have not been an important highway for the 

 interchange of Arachnid fauna. We should 

 expect the influence it has had to be most ap- 

 parent in the fauna of our southeastern 

 states, but only one out of 62 genera common 

 to that region and South America is found 

 in the West Indies and not recorded from 

 Central America, while 35 per cent, of them 

 are found in Central America and not re- 

 corded from the West Indies. This one genus 

 is Bolostromus with one species {B. fluviatilis) 

 recorded from Alabama, one (B. insularis) 

 from St. Vincent and four from South Amer- 

 ica. 



Therefore, making all allowances for defi- 

 ciencies in taxonomy, records and my analysis 

 of the records, we must conclude that prac- 



tically the only interchange of spiders be- 

 tween the two continents has been by way of 

 Central America. 



Frank E. Lutz 



TEE AMEEICAN ASSOCIATION FOB THE 

 ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 

 SECTION D 

 Peofessor 0. P. Hood, mechanical engineer for 

 the Bureau of Mines, was elected vice-president of 

 the association and chairman of Section D for the 

 next meeting, at Atlanta. Professor A. H. Blan- 

 chard, of Columbia University, was elected secre- 

 tary for five years to succeed G. W. Bissell, whose 

 term expired. G. W. Bissell was elected a mem- 

 ber of the council for the Atlanta meeting, and 

 Mr. W. Bowie a member of the sectional com- 

 mittee for five years, vice A. H. Blanchard, whose 

 term expired. 



The section held meetings on January 2 and 3 

 for the presentation of papers. Vice-president J. 

 A. Holmes, chairman of the section, presided on 

 January 2, on which date the program was of a 

 general character. Professor A. H. Blanchard 

 presided on January 3 for two sessions devoted to 

 papers on highway engineering. January 4 was 

 assigned as a field or inspection day for those 

 interested in good roads. 



Eetiring vice-president C. S. Howe, owing to 

 absence on leave from Case School of Applied Sci- 

 ence and other duties, did not present an address 

 before the section. 



The section is under obligations to the local 

 committee and the authorities of Cksc School of 

 Applied Science for the very excellent facilities 

 for meetings; to those who, although not members 

 of the association, contributed papers and dis- 

 cussions, and to those of its own membership who 

 responded to requests for papers. 



The secretary is indebted to Professor A. H. 

 Blanchard for material assistance in the prepara- 

 tion of the program. 



The Cleveland meeting of Section D was very 

 encouraging to those interested, notwithstanding 

 the storm on January 3 materially reduced the at- 

 tendance. 



Abstracts and titles are listed below by groups. 



MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS AND TITLES 



The Precise Level Net of the United States: "Wm. 

 Bowie, inspector of geodetic work, Coast and 

 Geodetic Survey, Washington, D. C. 



