April 19, 1918] 



SCIENCE 



383 



sense physiology and behavior in birds. For 

 this purpose young herring gulls were se- 

 cured, kept in a suitable cage on the beach 

 and fed on small dead fishes until during the 

 third and fourth weeks, all of the gulls but 

 one died as the result of heavy trematode in- 

 festation secured from the fish. The death of 

 these gulls seriously interfered with the work 

 for a large part of the season. 



Professor Strong obtained a considerable 

 amount of data concerning the location of 

 many colonies of breeding herring gulls on 

 the Great Lakes. He also studied the distri- 

 bution and activities of the herring gull from 

 the standpoint of one of the topics recom- 

 mended by the committee on zoology of the 

 National Research (Douncil. 



Miss Edith Priscilla Butler worked with 

 Professor Strong on the reaction of gulls to 

 sound stimuli. Some interesting data to be 

 published later were obtained concerning the 

 hearing of gulls. Observations were made on 

 the docility of gulls and their capacity for 

 learning. 



3Ir. E. L. Lambert and Miss Dorothy 

 Cashen assisted Professor Strong in making 

 records of the rate of growth of young birds. 

 Mr. Roland Hussey worked with Professor 

 Strong on the activities and distribution of 

 birds in selected areas near the station. He 

 visited these areas frequently and obtained 

 important data correlated with weather and 

 time conditions. 



Mr. F. N. Blanchard, of the University of 

 Michigan, collected data on the habitat and 

 habits of the milk snake, and also did syste- 

 matic work on this form. He made a determi- 

 nation of the Cicindelid fauna of the region, 

 relative abundance of the species, the habitats 

 of the adults and the habits of some of the 

 more abundant species. 



George E. La Rue, 



Director 



SCIENTIFIC EVENTS 



THE PROPOSED TRANSFER OF THE UNITED 



STATES NAVAL OBSERVATORY TO THE 



SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 



Secretary Daniels has sent the following 



letter to Chairman Padgett, of the House Com- 

 mittee on Naval Aflfairs: 



My Dear Mr. Padgett: The Navy Department 

 wishes to express most emphatically its disapproval 

 of H. E. 10954 to change the name of the United 

 States Na\-al Observatory and to transfer the same 

 to the Smithsonian Institution. 



The United States Naval Observatory has grown 

 to its present proportions and position in the as- 

 tronomical world through the efforts and under the 

 control of the Navy and this department believes 

 that its continued efficiency can best be maintained 

 by retaining the present organization. 



Any interference in the work of the observatory 

 at this time when all are engaged in war work in 

 addition to regular routine duties interrupts the 

 supply of nautical instruments to the active fleet 

 which may cause disaster. 



The work done to keep up the supply of chronom- 

 eters, sextants, compasses and other necessary in- 

 struments is more or less confidential and it is ad- 

 visable not to put it in this communication, but it 

 will be furnished in a verbal report if desired. 



In addition to its work for the Navy, the ob- 

 servatory has the custody of sextants and chronom- 

 eters purchased by the Shipping Board. 



In March, 1909, the Secretary of the Navy is- 

 sued an order establishing an astronomical council 

 and stated, "The astronomical work of the Naval 

 Observatory shall be so planned and executed as 

 best to subserve the following purposes and no 

 others, to wit: 



"To furnish to the Nautical Almanac Office, as 

 far as may be possible, such observations and such 

 data as may be needed for carrying out the pur- 

 pose of the law under which the appropriations for 

 that office are made from year to year, which is as 

 follows: 



" 'For . . . preparing for publication the 

 American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac and 

 improving the tables of the planets, moon and 

 stars . . .' 



' ' The principal work of the observatory shall be 

 in the field of the astronomy of position as distin- 

 guished from astrophysical work, and shall be the 

 continued maintenance of observations for abso- 

 lute positions of the fundamental stars and of stars 

 which are to be made fundamental, and in addi- 

 tion the independent determination by observations 

 of the sun, of the positions of the stars, moon and 

 planets with reference to the equator and equi- 

 noxes. 



"Truman H. Newberry, 

 "Secretary" 



