704 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. II. No. 47. 



Sarcophaga sarracenise is so uniformly present 

 and so abundant in every species of pitcher 

 plant linowu to the speaker that he is con- 

 strained to think that the species has a more in- 

 timate connection with the economy of the plant 

 than has been assigned to it. 



Mr. Howard read a lengthy paper entitled 

 ' Notes on the Life-history of Cidex pungens, 

 with remarks about other Mosquitoes.' He 

 gave results of actual rearing of C. pungens in 

 Washington, showing that a generation may 

 develop in ten days. Other mosquitoes occur- 

 ring at Washington are Psorophora ciliata and 

 Anopheles quadriniaculatus. The subject of mos- 

 quito remedies was treated in exteuso. The 

 paper was discussed by Messrs. Gill, Marlatt, 

 Ashmead, Hubbard, Mann and Benton. 



Mr. Heidemann exhibited specimens of the 

 winged form of Eheumatohates rileyi and jR. 

 tenuipes. These specimens were of especial in- 

 terest since Meinert doubts the existence of 

 winged individuals. 



Mr. Ashmead exhibited certain Mutillidse 

 and called particular attention to the differences 

 between Sphjerophthalma and Photopsis, ex- 

 pressing himself as of the opinion that one sec- 

 tion of the genus Photopsis is based entirely on 

 males of Cyphotes. 



Mr. Hubbard exhibited a brood cell of what 

 is probably Xylehorus pini, announcing the dis- 

 covery that this insect in its brood cell constructs 

 a cemetery for dead larvse and adults, removing 

 them entirely from the main portion of the cell iu 

 which grows the ambrosia upon which the larvse 

 feed. He compared the intelligence exhibited 

 in this way with that shown by ants, since cer- 

 tain of the latter insects cultivate fungi and simi- 

 larly set aside spots to be used for cemeteries. 

 L. O. Howard, Recording Secretary. 



NEW YOBK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



The Academy met on October 28, with Vice- 

 President Stevenson in the chair. After the usual 

 routine business the Geological Section organized 

 and listened to the following paper: 



Geological notes from Long Island and Nan- 

 tucket by Arthur Hollick. The author de- 

 scribed the further discovery of fossil Creta- 

 ceous plants at Center Island in Oyster Bay, 

 along the north shore, and on Montauk Poiut, the 



northeastern extremity. He also mentioned 

 the finding of several boulders containing ma- 

 rine Cretaceous molluscs, and set forth the rea- 

 sons for thinking that the New Jersey green- 

 sands had formerly existed in the basin of Long 

 Island Sound. Recent observations and lists of 

 fossils from Sankaty Head, Nantucket, con- 

 cluded the paper. Among these was a frag- 

 ment of silicifled Palm-wood, the first specimen 

 of the kind recorded from eastern North 

 America. Discussion followed by W. M. Davis. 

 The second paper was by Gilbert Van Ingen 

 and T. G. White: "An account of geological 

 work the past summer on Lake Champlain." 

 The paper described the results of recent strati- 

 graphical studies on the Trenton limestones and 

 briefly outlined the character and relations of 

 the fauuas. An abstract will appear m the 

 Transactions of the Academy of even date. 



After routine business on November 4 the 

 Section of Astronomy and Physics organized, 

 and listened to a paper, by Prof. E. S. Wood- 

 ward, upon 'Systems of Mechanical Units.' 

 Mr. Woodward referred to the importance of 

 the dimensional formulse in discussing systems 

 of vinits, and called attention to their intro- 

 duction in 1821 by Fourier, and their sub- 

 sequent revival by Maxwell. He pointed out 

 some of the difficulties arising from the adop- 

 tion of the present fundamental units of 

 length, mass and time, and showed how, by 

 the elimination of either length or time and 

 the substitution of energy, new systems could 

 be obtained. He dwelt upon the desirability of 

 the system in which energy replaces time for 

 those people who may have no conception of 

 time, and pointed out that the conceptions of 

 energy are certainly as distinct as those of mass 

 and possibly even as distinct as those of length 

 and time. This paper was discussed by Profs. 

 Pupiu, Hallock and Pfister. 



Prof. Harold Jacoby then read a paper re- 

 ceived too late for announcement in the Bulletin, 

 on ' Suggestions as to the determination of the 

 relative mass of the two components of the 

 double Star Eta Cassiopeise, ' from Rutherfurd 

 photographic measures. Prof. Jacoby outlined 

 the method to be pursued in this investigation, 

 and deduced the formuhie to be used. The 



