Apeil 25, 1913] 



SCIENCE 



639 



which these sprang was evolved in Antarctica 

 and spread northward during the Mesozoic 

 after both the African and Austromalaysian 

 connections had been broken. South America 

 was the last of the great land masses to be cut 

 off from Antarctica, hence only in America 

 do we find such nearly related but distinct 

 types as Ingenhousia and Cienfuegosia. The 

 Australian cottons have been isolated since the 

 southward dispersal of the type which pre- 

 ceded Gossypium and which originated in the 

 north. Hence they are found to be farther 

 removed from the Asiatic and American true 

 cottons than are the latter from each other, 

 being properly separated under Sturtia. They 

 represent more nearly the immediate type 

 from which Gossypivim s. str. sprang. 



Anthonomus is a type of North American 

 origin, where it was dominant during the 

 Tertiary — Oligocene and Miocene. From 

 some of its first waves of southward dispersal 

 sprang the group to which belongs Anthono- 

 mus vestitus, which latter has developed on 

 cotton alone in- South America. From a later 

 wave of southward dispersal sprang the A. 

 grandis group, this species likewise developing 

 on cotton alone, but originating in Central 

 America and Mexico. Almost certainly one 

 of the periodic separations between North and 

 South America took place while the A. grandis 

 group dispersal was in progress, thus cutting 

 this species off from South America. During 

 subsequent connections of the two continents 

 no extensive dispersals of these groups oc- 

 curred. This explains the fact that A. ves- 

 titus belongs to a group not represented in 

 North America, and indicates the great prob- 

 ability that A. grandis does not occur in 

 South America. It also explains the now 

 quite evident fact that both of these weevils 

 have no other food-plant than cotton, having 

 originally developed on that plant. 



From these points we may deduce that A. 

 vestitus has probably attacked cotton in humid 

 northwestern South America for upward of a 

 million years, if not longer. It is therefore 

 extremely probable that this species is not 

 confined to Peru and Ecuador. 



Charles H. T. Townsend 



THE ASTBONOMICAL AND ASTBOPBTS- 

 ICAL SOCIETY OF AMEBICA 



The fifteenth meeting of this society was held 

 in Cleveland in connection with the American 

 Association for the Advancement of Science, from 

 December 31, 1912, to .January 2, 1913. With the 

 exception of the joint session with the American 

 Mathematical Society and Sections A and B of 

 the American Association for the Advancement of 

 Science on Tuesday afternoon, December 31, the 

 meetings were held in the recitation room of the 

 department of astronomy of the Case School of 

 Applied Science. The secretary of Section A has 

 already reported on the joint meeting (see page 

 76 of this volume). 



The time was so thoroughly filled with the pro- 

 gram of papers that little opportunity was af- 

 forded for attendance of the meetings of the 

 various sections of the association and the other 

 affiliated societies, or for excursions about the city. 

 Most of the members, however, visited the observa- 

 tory of the Case School, where are housed an 

 excellent almueantar, a zenith telescope and a 

 transit instrument, and accepted the privilege of 

 visiting the Warner & Swazey shops. 



The following members were in attendance: 

 Sebastian Albrecht, S. I. Bailey, L. A. Bauer, J. A. 

 Brashear, E. W. Brown, C. A. Chant, W. A. Cogs- 

 hall, W. S. Eichelberger, Philip Fox, William 

 Gaertner, James Hartness, G. F. Hull, W. J. 

 Humphreys, F. C. Jordan, N. A. Kent, Kurt 

 Laves, T. A. Lawes, W. I. Milham, D. C. Miller, 

 E. W. Morley, E. F. Nichols, J. A. Parkhurst, 

 E. C. Pickering, J. S. Plaskett, W. F. Rigge, 

 H. N. Eussell, Frank Schlesinger, H. T. Stetson, 

 E. M. Stewart, J. N. Stockwell, G. D. Swazey, 

 W. R. Warner, F. P. Whitman, D. T. Wilson, 

 H. C. Wilson, Anne S. Young, E. I. Towell. 



Visitors: G. L. Coyle, S. F. Cusick, Patrick 

 Rafferty, J. I. Shannon. 



The following were elected members of the 

 society: W. O. Beal, S. R. Collins, Ralph E. De- 

 Lury, R. T. A. Innes, William H. Morton, Earl 

 C. Slipher. 



Abstracts of the 36 papers which were read 

 follow in the order of presentation. 



The Correction of Actinometer Measurements for 

 Aqueous Depletion: Feank W. Very. 

 Tables have been prepared for the approximate 

 correction of aetinometric observations with air 

 masses and pressures of aqueous vapor as argu- 

 ments. The first table of multiplying factors is 



