DECEMBER 8, 1899.] ~ 
is furnished by Martin Smallwood, who also 
discusses the development of the Medusa and 
the origin of the sex cells. The Medusz of 
Pennaria are considered to be in a degenerate 
condition. The ‘ Reversal of Cleavage in An- 
cylus’ is described by Samuel J. Holmes, who 
considers that it has a special significance from 
the fact that the left-handedness of this genus 
has probably arisen independently of that of 
Physa and Planorbis. The ‘Synopses of North 
American Invertebrates’ is continued by C. H. 
Turner, who furnishes a ‘key to the Fresh- 
Water Ostracoda.’ In the Reviews of Recent 
Literature, zoology claims an unusually large 
share. 
THE Journal of the Boston Society of Medical 
Sciences commences its fourth volume with the 
October number. Under the title ‘Recent Ad- 
ditions to the Warren Museum of the Harvard 
Medical School,’ Thomas Dwight describes 
briefly a series of interesting abnormal human 
backbones. G. Hay discusses ‘A Curious Re- 
lation between the Positions, as given by Dr. 
Weiland, of two Linear After-Images, studied 
in connection with the Law of Listing, and the 
Corresponding Angles of two Pairs of Great 
Circle Planes, as given by Helmholtz.’ J. H. 
Wright contributes three beautiful plates show- 
ing anumber of ‘ Photographs of Malarial Para- 
sites.’ 
SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 
THE NEW YORK SECTION OF THE AMERICAN 
CHEMICAL SOCIETY. 
THE October meeting of the New York Sec- 
tion of the American Chemical Society was held 
on Friday evening, October 6th, at the Chem- 
ists’ Club, 108 West 55th Street. 
The following papers were read : 
‘Some Notes on the Year’s Progress in Applied 
Chemistry,’ by William McMurtrie. 
‘Filters for Purifying Public Water Supplies,’ by 
Allen Hazen. 
‘The Mordanting and Dyeing of Silk,’ by Rafael 
Granja. 
Robert Wilhelm Eberhard Bunsen, In Memoriam. 
A Tribute from former Pupils. 
Dr. Doremus asked for original papers for 
presentation at the conference to be held in 
Paris next August. 
SCIENCE. 
859 
The question of holding an extra meeting in 
November was discussed, but no final action 
taken. EK. E. Smiru, 
Sec’y Pro. Tem. 
THE regular meeting of the Section was held 
in the assembly room of the Chemists’ Club, 108 
West 55th Street, on Friday evening, November 
10th. Sixty members were in attendance, Dr. 
C. T. McKenna presiding. The following 
papers were read : 
1. Wm. MeMurtrie, ‘Some Notes on the Year’s 
Progress in Applied Chemistry.’ 
2. M. Trubek, ‘ The Technical Analysis of Licorice 
Paste.’ 
3. P. A. Levene, ‘On the Chemistry of Mucin.’ 
Dr. McMurtrie’s continuation of his paper on 
the year’s progress in applied chemistry was 
full of valuable material, and covered a wide 
range of subjects, among them the electrolytic — 
production of alkali, the production of ozone on 
a large scale for bleaching oils and purification 
of water, improved shorter methods for manu- 
facture of white lead, and a very full compari- 
son of the efficiency of different gases and gas 
burners, as well as recent experimental work on 
the cause of light in the Welshbach mantle, and 
the best mixtures for the purpose. 
It is expected that this paper will be pub- 
lished in full. 
The question of a joint meeting with the 
Philadelphia Section was brought up by the 
Chairman, who stated that it had been decided 
to postpone the proposed meeting until after 
the holidays. DURAND WOODMAN, 
Secretary. 
THE WASHINGTON BOTANICAL CLUB. 
THE tenth regular meeting of the Club was 
held at the residence of Mr. C. L. Shear, October 
4, 1899. The evening was devoted to informal 
accounts of the season’s work in the field. Mr. 
Shear described his investigations on the coast 
of Oregon and Washington, where he was en- 
gaged more particularly in studying the sand- 
binders. Carex macrocephala, Poa macrantha, 
and Elymus arenarius, he stated, were the best 
examples of this class of plants in that region. 
Mr. Pieters spoke of the peculiar conditions of 
plant growth in the lake district of Central 
Florida, each variety of soil yielding a different 
