706 



SCIENCE 



[N. fe. Vol. XXIX. No. 748 



bivalenfs. I have found a somewhat similar 

 condition in the eoreid Pachylis, though the 

 ■coupling is here less constant. The most sig- 

 nificant fact, emphasized by McClung, is that 

 in Hesperotettix the odd chromosome always 

 couples with a particular bivalent that can be 

 distinguished from the others by its size. 

 Such a phenomenon is evidently to a certain 

 extent of the same type as the secondary 

 coupling surmised above as the possible ex- 

 planation of the facts in Abraxas; and it 

 would be most interesting to attempt crossing 

 experiments with these grasshoppers from the 

 point of view that is thus suggested. 



Professor Castle's tempting suggestion that 

 the T-element in the ordinary forms of insects 

 may be the vehicle for the transmission of sec- 

 ondary male characters that are not repre- 

 sented in the female interests me because I 

 had considered an identical view but with- 

 held it for two reasons. One was that in forms 

 like Pachylis, Archimerus, etc., where the Y- 

 element is wanting, the male secondary char- 

 acters are as well developed and characteristic 

 as in forms where the T-element is present. 

 The other is given by the facts in Metapodius 

 (since published in the fiith of my " Studies 

 on Chromosomes ")• In this case the evidence 

 is nearly if not quite conclusive that the 

 " supernumerary " chromosomes are duplicates 

 of the Y-element; and they are found indif- 

 ferently in either sex. The closest scrutiny 

 of the original specimens (now in my cabinet) 

 fails to show any trace of the male secondary 

 characters in those females that possess super- 

 numeraries. Since these characters are very 

 conspicuous in Metapodius a decisive negative 

 seems to be given to Castle's suggestion, as far 

 at least as three species of this genus are con- 

 cerned. The Y-element still remains a puzzle ; 

 and until it has been satisfactorily accounted 

 for our cytological view of the problem will 

 remain defective. 



Edmund B. Wilson 



THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 

 The National Academy of Sciences held its 

 annual meeting at Washington on April 20, 21 

 and 22. The members in attendance were: 



Henry L. Abbot, Alexander Agassiz, J. A. Allen, 



George F. Becker, John S. Billings, Franz Boas, 

 William H. Brewer, George J. Brush, J. McK. 

 Cattell, Charles F. Chandler, Russell H. Chitten- 

 den, W. B. Clark, George C. Comstock, E. G. 

 Conklin, James M. Crafts, Whitman Cross, Will- 

 iam H. Ball, W. M. Davis, W. L. Elkin, S. F. 

 Emmons, W. G. Farlow, Edwin B. Frost, Theo. 

 Gill, Arnold Hague, William F. Hillebrand, Will- 

 iam H. Holmes, Joseph P. Iddings, C. Hart 

 Merriam, S. Weir Mitchell, Edward W. Morley, 

 Edward S. Morse, Edward L. Nichols, H. F. 

 Osborn, Michael I. Pupin, Ira Remsen, W. B. 

 Scott, Charles D. Walcott, Arthur G. Webster, 

 William H. Welch, Charles A. White, Edmund B. 

 Wilson, Robert S. Woodward. 



The program of scientific papers was as follows: 



" The Nature and Possible Origin of the Milky 

 Way," G. C. Comstock. 



" Determinations of Stellar Parallax from Pho- 

 tographs made by Arthur R. Hincks and the 

 writer," H. N. Russel (introduced by G. G. Com- 

 stock). 



" Strange Ceremonial Costumes of California 

 Indians" (with lantern slides), C. Hart Merriam. 



" Archeologieal Problems of the Titicacan Pla- 

 teau " (with lantern slides), W. H. Holmes. 



" Discovery of a Complete Skeleton of Tyrrano- 

 saurus in the Upper Cretaceous" (with lantern 

 slides), H. F. Osborn. 



"An Iguanodont Dinosaur {Traohodon) with 

 the Epidermis Preserved" (with lantern slides), 

 H. F. Osborn. 



" Stratigraphic Relations and Paleontology of 

 the Lower Member of the Fort Union Formation," 

 F. H. Knowlton (introduced by Whitman Cross). 



" The Deep-sea Bottom of the Eastern Tropical 

 Pacific, from Observations on the Alhatross Ex- 

 pedition," Sir John Murray (communicated by A. 

 Agassiz ) . 



" The Meduste of the Eastern Tropical Pacific, 

 from Observations on the Albatross Expedition," 

 H. B. Bigelow (communicated by A. Agassiz). 



" Mythology of the Mewan Indians of Cali- 

 fornia," C. Hart Merriam. 



" The Radiation from Gases heated by Sudden 

 Compression," E. F. Nichols and G. P. Pegram. 



" Biographical Memoir of Elliott Coues," J. A. 

 Allen. 



" Biographical Memoir of Ogden N. Rood," E. 

 L. Nichols. 



" The Electrolytic Separation of the Chlorides 

 of Barium and Radium," Edgar F. Smith. 



"The Orders of Teleostomous Fishes (Pisces)," 

 Theo. Gill. 



