May 17, 1912] 
injured in some way. This dependence on a pre- 
liminary tissue derangement explains why the dis- 
ease is not infectious in the ordinary sense. 
The chicken sarcoma, like the tumors in general, 
can not be transmitted to other species; and the 
facts with regard to its cause must not be taken 
as applying directly to the tumors of other crea- 
tures. But these facts constitute the first dem- 
onstration of the cause of a malignant tumor, and 
they not unlikely illustrate a general truth. 
Protein Poison: Its Preparation and Its Nature: 
Victor C. VAUGHAN. 
It has long been known that the protein mole- 
cule contains a poisonous group. This has been 
‘demonstrated by the administration of foreign 
proteins, parenterally, to heterologous animals. It 
has also been shown that peptones are poisons 
when injected subcutaneously and intravenously. 
The writer, together with Dr. Wheeler in 1903, suc- 
ceeded in splitting up the protein molecule so as 
to get a highly poisonous body. This has never 
been obtained in a state of chemical purity, and - 
its exact composition is not known. Its effects 
upon animals have been closely studied, and it 
may be prepared from all kinds of proteins, bac- 
terial, vegetable and animal. 
Bacterial Vaccines, with Special Reference to 
Typhoid Prophylaxis: FREDERICK F, RUSSELL. 
Introduced by Dr. Alexander C. Abbott. 
Alternate Life: ALEXIS CARRELL. 
Dynamical Theory of the Globular Clusters and 
of the Clustering Power Inferred by Herschet 
from the Observed Figures of Sidereal Systems 
of High Order: T. J. J. Skx. By title. 
Some Notes on Persian Mystic Poetry: A. V. 
WILLIAMS JACKSON. 
Fripay, APRIL 19—AFTERNOON SESSION 
Vice-president William B. Scott in the chair 
Exhibition of Volumes of Illustrations of North 
American Vegetation: JOHN W. HARSHBERGER. 
History of the Fungus of the Chestnut-tree Dis- 
ease: WILLIAM G. FARLOW. 
The Classification of the Black Oaks (Illustrated) : 
WILLIAM TRELEASE. 
Attention to bud and fruit characters has led 
to a classification of the black oaks quite different 
from their usual arrangement according to leaf- 
form, and five groups of species are recognized, 
three of the eastern states, one of the southwest 
and one of the Pacific states. The eastern groups 
are the black oaks (black jack, turkey oak, Span- 
ish oak and quercitron), scarlet oaks (scarlet oak, 
‘gray oak, Hill’s oak, red oak, Texas red oak. and 
SCIENCE 
789 
bear oak) and swamp oaks, these two sets, the 
water oaks (water oak, pin oak and Stone Moun- 
tain oak) and willow oaks (shingle oak, willow 
oak, laurel oak, running oak, cinnamon oak and 
myrtle oak). The southwestern olive oaks 
(Emory’s oak and white-leaf oak) and the Cali- 
fornian holly oaks (evergreen oak, highland oak 
and Kellogg’s oak) are less related to one another 
and to the eastern black oaks than these are to 
one another, and appear to have originated inde- 
pendently of these. 
The Mammals of the Patagonian Miocene (Illus- 
trated): WILLIAM B. Scorr. 
Illustrations of Remarkable Cambrian Fossils from 
British Columbia (Illustrated): CHARLES D. 
WALCOTT. 
Dr.. Walcott described a very remarkable and 
ancient fauna that he found in connection with 
geological explorations in the higher Rocky Moun- 
tains of British Columbia. From a camp at 7,000 
feet elevation, he climbed a thousand feet to a 
ledge of rocks where the ancient Cambrian fossils 
are so perfectly preserved that the internal anat- 
omy of many of the worms and crabs may be 
reproduced by photography. 
His description of the fossils was illustrated 
by lantern slides made direct from the photo- 
graphs of specimens representing over fifty genera 
heretofore unknown. The bay in which the mud 
was deposited, which now forms the rocks contain- 
ing the fossils, was connected with the open ocean, 
and at the spot where the fossils were found the 
waters must have swarmed with the invertebrate 
life of the time. No fishes or other vertebrates 
were found to have existed at this ancient epoch. 
The earliest vertebrate remains known are several 
thousand feet higher up in the strata, and are 
many thousands of years younger than the Burgess 
shale fossils. ; 
The marine worms are so perfectly preserved 
that they show not only the exterior form, but the 
interior intestine and the long proboscis which the 
worms thrust out through the mouth to secure 
food and to aid in drawing themselves through the 
mud. 
The crabs show the intestinal canal, liver and a 
beautiful series of legs, gills and claws connected 
with the appendages about the mouth. 
Specimens of Medusw, or jelly fish, are beauti- 
fully preserved, even to the details of the thread- 
like swimming muscles. Dr. Walcott also showed 
upon the screen illustrations of the sponges, and 
many other rare forms of life. 
