526 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLI. No. 1058 



" Origin of Some Desert Basins," by IST. H. 

 Darton. 



" The Natural History of Ancient Vinland, 

 and its Geographic Significance," by M. L. 

 Fernald. 



FRIDAY EVENING SESSION (AT 8 :30, 61 PARK AVE.) 



"Early American Geography," by George 

 A. Plimpton. 



SATURDAY MORNING SESSION (FROM TEN O'CLOCK 



TO twelve-thirty) 



" Argentina and the Argentines," by Bailey 

 Willis. 



" Winter Weather as a Factor in the Great 

 War," by E. DeO. Ward. 



" The Muir Glacier in 1911 and 1913," by 

 Lawrence Martin. 



PACIFIC ASSOCIATION OF SCIENTIFIC 

 SOCIETIES 



At the Seattle meeting of the Pacific Asso- 

 ciation in May, 1914, the new constitution for 

 a Western Division of the American Associa- 

 tion for the Advancement of Science was ac- 

 cepted and recommended to the constituent 

 societies for their adoption. It was determined 

 that a two thirds vote would be necessary for 

 adoption; that if this vote was secured before 

 the meeting of the American Association at 

 San Francisco in August, 1915, the work of 

 the Pacific Association would be given over to 

 the Western Division at the end of the Au- 

 gust meeting, provided the Western Division 

 was organized and ready at that time to con- 

 tinue the work of the Pacific Association. On 

 March 20, 1915, the required two thirds vote 

 was secured, and the Pacific Association is 

 now ready as soon as the constitution is signed 

 by the officers of the voting constituent so- 

 cieties to turn over the work to the new Di- 

 vision at the end of the August meeting of 

 the American Association. The following so- 

 cieties adopted the new constitution in the 

 following order : Biological Society of the 

 Pacific Coast, Pacific Coast Paleontological 

 Society, The Cordilleran Section of the Geo- 

 logical Society of America, The Seismological 

 Society of America, Astronomical Society of 



the Pacific, The Technical Society of the Pa- 

 cific Coast, The Cooper Ornithological Club, 

 California Academy of Sciences, Puget Sound 

 Section of the American Chemical Society, 

 The Pacific Slope Association of Economic 

 Entomologists, San Francisco Society of the 

 Areheological Institute of America, and the 

 San Francisco Section of the American Mathe- 

 matical Society — twelve societies in all. The 

 following societies rejected the constitution: 

 The Philological Society of the Pacific Coast, 

 and the San Francisco Section of the Ameri- 

 can Chemical Society. The Geographical So- 

 ciety of the Pacific did not reply. The Pacific 

 Coast Branch of the American Historical As- 

 sociation will decide the question late in 1915. 



Dr. Campbell, president of the American 

 Association, has already appointed a com- 

 mittee to effect the organization of the divi- 

 sion,, and it will be ready in August to receive 

 the work and the archives of the Pacific As- 

 sociation which will in this manner terminate 

 a five years of active work. 



J. N. Burman, 

 Secretary of the Pacific Association 



Seattle, 



Maroh 30, 1915 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS 



Dr. Ira Eemsen, president emeritus of 

 Johns Hopkins University, will deliver the 

 principal address at the formal opening of the 

 new chemistry building of the University of 

 Minnesota, on May 24. 



At the recent commemoration day exercises 

 at the Johns Hopkins University there was 

 presented to the university by a committee of 

 which Dr. William S. Halsted, professor of 

 surgery, was chairman, a portrait in oil by 

 Mr. Seyffert, of Philadelphia, of Dr. Franklin 

 P. Mall, professor of anatomy in the university. 

 Dr. Lewellys L. Barker, professor of medicine, 

 made the presentation address. 



Professor Charles S. Wilson, of the Cor- 

 nell School of Agriculture, has been nominated 

 by Governor Whitman as New Tork state com- 

 missioner of agriculture. 



Officers of the Eoyal Astronomical Society 

 have been elected as follows : President, E. A. 



