June 5, 1914] 



SCIENCE 



845 



most general fault with the small museums is the 

 lack of labeling, particularly as to locality. 



Dr. J. O. Snyder then presented the last paper 

 of the program, entitled, "The Fishes _of the 

 Lahontan Basin, Nevada, their Habits and their 

 Relation to the Geology of the Region. ' ' Dr. 

 Snyder stated that his communication was a synop- 

 sis of the results of a scientific and practical in- 

 restigation for the Bureau of Fisheries, of the fol- 

 lowing lakes and their tributaries, Eagle, Hone, 

 Tahoe, Pyramid, Winnemucea, Carson and Walker, 

 representing at least five distinct systems. 



The fish fauna includes the following genera: 

 Catostomus, Leiiciscus, Butihis, Chasmistes, Salino, 

 Agosia, Coitus and Coregoniis. The speaker dis- 

 cussed all but the last three. 



The minnows of the genus Leuciscus change 

 color constantly as they become sexually mature, 

 and this change in appearance has resulted in a 

 multiplicity of names for a single species. These 

 little fish follow the suckers and feed eagerly on 

 their eggs. 



Chasmistes, a fish practically unknown to science, 

 since the original description was found to spawn 

 in immense numbers in the Truckee River. They 

 were so numerous as to crowd part of their number 

 out on the sandbars where they died. Large quanti- 

 ties are caught and dried by the Piute Indians. 



Trout are abundant in the Lahontan basin. 

 They belong to three main groups, the brook 

 trouts, the red-spotted, and the cut-throats, each 

 with numerous races. The silver trouts of Pyramid 

 and Winnemucea lakes are distinguished from 

 those of Tahoe by color, but not otherwise. They 

 ascend the streams to spawn, in two migrations, 

 the individuals of the two schools differing con- 

 siderably in appearance. 



The royal silver trout, a new species recently 

 found in Lake Tahoe, is remarkable in remaining 

 unknown to science for so long. It has long been 

 known to local fishermen, and their descriptions of 

 its peculiarities were confirmed when Dr. Snyder 

 received specimens. The species is regarded as a 

 superior food fish, and for this reason has not 

 reached the markets, being kept for home con- 

 sumption. 



The La Hontan Basin is surrounded by San 

 Joaquin, Sacramento, Klamath, Columbia, Bonne- 

 ville and Colorado systems, but is isolated from 

 them. Geological evidence is to the effect that the 

 basin has always been without outlet. So far as 

 the fish fauna is concerned, Chasmistes points to 

 a possible relationship with the Klamath and 

 Bonneville systems, in both of which it is found. 



This communication was discussed by Messrs. 

 A. A. Doolittle, M. W. Lyon, Wm. Palmer and the 

 speaker. 



The .526th regular meeting was held April 18, 

 1914 in the lecture hall of the Cosmos Club, with 

 Vice-president Dr. J. N. Rose in the chair and 40 

 persons present. Under the heading of brief 

 notices. President Paul Bartsch commented on the 

 absence of red-headed woodpeckers in the vicinity 

 of Washington. Apparently none had wintered 

 and it was thought migrants were overdue. Dr. 

 M. W. Lyon gave similar testimony. Mr. Alex. 

 Wetmore said the species was seen along the 

 Patusent River, Md., March 15, and that in his 

 experience, when the red-head is not present in 

 winter it does not return till late. 



Titus Ulke then gave the first paper on the reg- 

 ular program, entitled, "Notes on Bermuda 

 Birds. ' ' The speaker noted the large number of 

 birds that have been recorded from the Bermudas, 

 a large proportion of which are casual visitors. 

 He then gave notes on the distribution, habits and 

 local names of the following 18 species: Bermuda 

 catbird, bluebird, northern water-thrush, Bermuda 

 white-eyed vireo, European house-sparrow, Ber- 

 muda cardinal, belted kingfisher, pigeon hawk, 

 Bermuda ground-dove, golden plover, jaeksnipe, 

 great blue heron, bittern, coot, black duck, blue- 

 winged teal and European goldfinch. The paper 

 was discussed by Messrs. T. W. Vaughn, Wm. 

 Palmer, W. L. McAtee and the author. 



T. Wayland Vaughn then delivered his communi- 

 cation on ' ' Reactions of Corals to Food and to 

 Non-nutrient Particles, and the Nature of the Food 

 of Corals." He first gave a sketch of the struc- 

 ture of the coral polyp, in so far as it is related 

 to prehension and assimilation of food. The en- 

 tire ectoderm of the animal is armed with nemato- 

 cysts for disabling living prey. It is further cov- 

 ered with mucus and is provided with cilia which 

 waft food toward the mouth and rejected objects 

 away. Experiments in feeding coral polyps were 

 made with the following substances: bits of crab 

 meat, cut-up minnow and beef juice. When solid 

 food was placed on the oval disc, the tentacles ex- 

 pand, bend over, and pass food to mouth ; the edges 

 of the oval disc contract over the mouth until 

 swallowing is completed. The impulse to expand 

 the tentacles stimulated by a food particle is com- 

 municated from polj'p to polyp until the whole 

 colony is expanded. 



Corals can be satiated with food, and when this 

 condition is reached all objects are wafted away 



