August 4, 1916] 



SCIENCE 



181 



logg's conclusion, numbered (2) in this paper, 

 and one that casts doubt upon the correctness 

 of the three other conclusions herein discussed. 



It is my belief that the results of the ex- 

 periments and observations herein described 

 when considered in connection with the obser- 

 vations of other investigators on various spe- 

 cies of lamellibranchs and on various protozoa 

 and metazoa, afford a satisfactory basis for 

 concluding that the oyster is not the helpless 

 automaton Dr. Kellogg makes it out to be, but 

 that it possesses sufficient control over its cili- 

 ary feeding mechanism to prevent its starving 

 in the presence of water-borne food material, 

 even though the food particles and associated 

 sand grains may be carried to its gills and 

 palps in bewildering abundance. 



This control of the feeding mechanism and 

 the ability to select food may conceivably be 

 exercised through control of the direction of 

 the effective beat of the cilia of certain tracts 

 on the palp surfaces and, since reversal in the 

 stroke of cilia on the palps (nebenkiemen) of 

 lamellibranchs has actually been observed by 

 Engelmann and others, and since selection and 

 rejection of foreign particles through control 

 of ciliary movement have been observed in 

 various animals (Stentor, Metridium, etc.), we 

 may well expect to find that the oyster exer- 

 cises control over its feeding processes through 

 ability to change the direction of the effective 

 stroke of the cilia of certain tracts on its palps. 



Caswell Grave 

 Johns Hopkins University, 

 Baltimore, Md. 



THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF 

 MUSEUMS 



The American Association of Museums held its 

 eleventh annual meeting in Washington, D. C, 

 May 15-18. The opening session was devoted to 

 the transaction of business, and to a special report 

 by Secretary Paul M. Rea on the "Condition and 

 Needs of American Museums. ' ' This report sum- 

 marized the work of the association during the 

 past ten years, reviewed the studies of American 

 museums which have been made on behalf of the 

 association, and outlined the work which might be 

 undertaken for the furtherance of museum de- 

 velopment. 



The evening of May 15 was devoted to a supper 

 in celebration of the decennial of the American 

 Association of Museums. Following this supper 

 the presidential address was given by Dr. Oliver 

 C. Farrington on ' ' Some Relations of Art and Sci- 

 ence in Museums. ' ' The remainder of the evening 

 was occupied with informal remarks by members 

 of the association. This session was presided over 

 by Dr. W. J. Holland, of the Carnegie Museum, 

 who was one of the founders of the association 

 and its third president. 



At the morning session on May 16 a group of 

 papers was presented reporting progress in a con- 

 certed experiment by several museums in the use 

 of museums for instruction in the history of civili- 

 zation. This symposium was arranged by Miss 

 Anna D. Slocum, acting on behalf of the associa- 

 tion in cooperation with the Woman's Education 

 Association of Boston. The titles of the papers 

 were as follows: 



"A Study of Nations through the Museum," 

 by Miss Anna D. Slocum. 



' ' History Study and Museum Exhibits, ' ' by 

 Miss Delia I. Griffin. 



' ' Museum Stories of Art and Civilization, ' ' by 

 Miss Margaret E. Sawtelle. 



' ' The Museum Story as an Introduction to His- 

 tory, " by Mrs. Laura W. L. Scales. 



' ' Teaching History in the Museum, ' ' by Mrs. 

 Agnes L. Vaughan. 



"The Museum and the School," by Miss Lotta 

 A. Clark. 



Other papers presented at this session were "A 

 Museum Game," by Miss Eva W. Magoon, and a 

 paper on the ' ' Development of the N. W. Harris 

 Public School Extension of the Field Museum of 

 Natural History," by Mr. S. C. Simms. Miss 

 Viola M. Bell, of Teachers College, Columbia Uni- 

 versity, presented by invitation a paper on " Re- 

 lations of Domestic Science Teaching to Mu- 

 seums. ' ' Following these papers the association 

 proceeded to the election of officers with the fol- 

 lowing result: 



President, Henry R. Howland, Buffalo Society 

 of Natural Sciences. 



Vice-president, Newton H. Carpenter, Art Insti- 

 tute of Chicago. 



Secretary, Paul M. Rea, The Charleston Museum 

 (S. C). 



Treasurer, W. P. Wilson, The Philadelphia Mu- 

 seums. 



Assistant Secretary, Laura L. Weeks, The Charles- 

 ton Museum (S. C.) 



The retiring president, Dr. Oliver C. Farrington, 



