MarcH 29, 1901.] 
covered the period from July 1st to October 18th, 
and in 1900 they began July 1st and have been 
continued up to date. 
Many very interesting observations were 
~ made regarding the feeding and other habits of 
the coot and numerous species of ducks. The 
paper was devoted chiefly to the coot, the habits 
of which, at this lake, were found to differ 
widely from most of the published records of 
its life history. 
It was found that the coot is quite as aquatic 
in its habits as are most ducks ; it swims freely 
and easily in all parts of the lake. It dives 
regularly and gracefully when feeding, and in 
water as deep as twenty-five feet, though its 
usual feeding grounds were in water four to 
eighteen feet deep. The longest time any indi- 
vidual was observed to remain under water was 
sixteen seconds in water ten to twelve feet deep. 
In deeper water the time was doubtless longer, 
but could not be definitely determined. 
The choice food in September and October 
was the modified stolons or winter buds of the 
wild celery (Vallisneria spiralis), but later 
other parts of this plant, and other plants 
(among them Myriophyllum verticulatwm, Pota- 
mogeton pectinatus and other Potamogetons) 
were utilized. When feeding, which it does at 
all hours of the day and night, it is not taci- 
turn, as stated by Nuttall, but very sociable 
and loquacious, constantly talking to its asso- 
ciates day and night; as an article of food the 
coot is superior to many species of ducks. 
Mr. Clark is continuing his observations at 
Lake Maxinkuckee during the winter and 
spring, and doubtless other interesting facts 
will be discovered. 
Under the title, ‘More about the Cocoa- 
nut,’ O. F. Cook continued the argument 
brought forward in a previous paper that 
the cocoanut palm is an American and not 
an Asiatic or Malayan species, and that its 
original habitat is not to be sought on the 
sea-coast, but in the mountains of Colombia, 
where it has been reported far inland. It 
is apparently unable to establish or maintain 
itself in competition with the usual floras of 
tropical coasts, and its general dissemination 
and present range are believed to be the result 
of human agency. The prehistoric distribu- 
SCIENCE. 
507 
tion, the Malayo-Polynesian names, and the 
uses attaching to the cocoanut, the sweet potato 
and other economic plants of American origin, 
suggest the probability of a very early west- 
ward migration of a primitive culture-race. 
A. H. Howell gave some ‘ Notes on the Dis- 
tribution and Nomenclature of North American 
Skunks,’ recognizing seventeen species and sub- 
species and showing specimens illustrating their 
color variations. Several important changes in 
nomenclature were referred to, the details of 
which will be given in a revision of the group 
about to be published by the Biological Survey 
of the Department of Agriculture. 
F. A. Lucas. 
CHEMICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. 
THE 124th regular meeting was held on Feb- 
ruary 14th. Dr. H. Carrington Bolton, the re- 
tiring president, addressed the Society on the 
subject ‘Physics and Faith.’ (SCIENCE, XIII., 
320.) 
The following papers were then presented: 
‘The Solubility of Gypsum in Aqueous Solu- 
tion of Sodium Chlorid,’ by F. K. Cameron. 
This paper was a description of the continua- 
tion of investigations along this line previously 
reported by the author. It was found that the 
solubility curve presented a maximum point 
even when calculated on the basis of a given 
mass of solvent instead of a given volume of 
solution. A discussion together with the re- 
sults of experiments was given on the nature 
of the hydrate of calcium sulfate in the solid 
phase in contact with certain solutions. <A 
theoretical discussion of the results was pre- 
sented, and some practical applications pointed 
out. 
‘Hquilibrium between Carbonates and Bi- 
carbonates in Aqueous Solution,’ by F. K. 
Cameron and L. J. Briggs. The curves show- 
ing the distribution of the base between the 
two salts for solutions in equilibrium with ordi- 
nary air were shown. For solutions of the 
salts of sodium, potassium, or magnesium, as 
infinite dilution is approached, the bases are all 
combined as hydrogen carbonates. As the to- 
tal concentration increases, the percentage of 
base combined as normal carbonate increases 
rapidly to a certain point, then asymptotically 
