536 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. III. No. (',(>. 



ter could be explained by the mechanical laws 

 of the body: when the center of gravity is above 

 the transverse median line, the person is right- 

 handed; when median, ambidextrous; when 

 below, left-handed. 



Right-handedness he regarded as physiologi- 

 cal and not the result of the evolution of a dex- 

 tral habit. The left side of the brain controls 

 the right side of the body and vice versa. The 

 speech center is nearly always on the right side 

 of the brain, the left speech center remaining 

 undeveloped. He regarded right-handedness 

 as a natural physiological development, and he 

 therefore did not regard it as beneficial to culti- 

 vate ambidexterity. 



Dr. Charles K. Mills thought it probable that 

 in recovery from aphasia the loss of power in 

 the speech center of the brain is not regained 

 "by a compensatory action of the other side, but 

 through healing of the lesion in the diseased 

 side. In children aphasia seems to occur equally 

 from paralysis of both sides of the body; in 

 adults from paralysis on one side alone. In 

 aphasia from right-handed paralysis it is very 

 difficult to teach writing with the left hand. 



Dr. D. G. Brinton remarked that right- and 

 left-handedness are not found in the anthropoid 

 apes, and there is good reason to believe, from 

 the formation of stone implements and modes 

 of drawing of primitive man, that he was ambi- 

 dextrous. 



Prof Jastrow stated that the farther back we 

 go the less important the direction of writing 

 becomes. In many ancient methods the writ- 

 ing might be done to right or left, according to 

 the will of the writer. The same is the case 

 with Chinese and Japanese writing. The 

 earliest Greek inscriptions are written from 

 right to left, the direction being changed at a 

 later date. 



Mr. H. C. Mercer did not think that the 

 asymmetry of stone implements had any special 

 significance. In stone chipping by modern 

 Indians the grain of the stone largely governed 

 the direction in which it is worked. 



Prof Heilprin called attention to the fact 

 that Darwin had commented on the right-sided- 

 ness of a large proportion of animals. 

 Edw. J. Nolan, 



Recording Secretary. 



BOSTON SOCIETY OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



A GENERAL meeting was held March 4th, 

 thirteen persons present. Prof. F. W. Putman, 

 in his remarks upon Symbolism in Ancient 

 America, insisted upon the importance of studj'- 

 ing Ceramic art from its earlist beginning. The 

 form, color, and style of ornamentation of an- 

 cient vessels and utensils was described, and 

 the resemblances between the decorative and 

 symbolic carvings throughout the world noted. 

 Implements made of native copper with the 

 simplest tools were mentioned ; also ear and 

 head ornaments made of copper. Carvings 

 upon the round surfaces of human bones clearly 

 indicate design. The designs, methods of carv- 

 ing, and the various meanings of the carvings 

 were explained. 



A series of detailed drawings by Mr. Wil- 

 loughby were also explained. The symbolic 

 tablets' of the Pueblo peoples and of the Mound 

 Builders show but slight differences. 



The peculiar character of the pottery of the 

 Florida sand mounds was noted. The age of 

 the mounds is uncertain ; they are probably 

 more than 800 or 1,000 years. 



Samuel Henshaw, 



Secretary. 



THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE OF ST. LOUIS. 



At the meeting of March 16th Mr. Trelease 

 presented some of the results of a recent study 

 of the poplars of North America, made by him 

 for the Systematic Botany of North America, 

 and exhibited specimens of the several species 

 and recognized varieties. Specimens were also 

 exhibited of an apparently undescribed poplar 

 from the mountains of northern Mexico, which 

 he proposed to characterize shortly, and, for 

 comparison, specimens of the two other species 

 of poplar known to occur in Mexico, and of the 

 European allies of the supposed new species, 

 were laid before the Academy. The paper was " 

 discussed by Drs. Green, Glatfelter and Kinner, 

 Mr. Winslow and Professor Kinealy. 



The Academy adopted resolutions favoring the 

 appointment of a permanent chief for the scien- 

 tific work of the United States Department of 

 Agriculture. William Trelease, 



Recording Secretary. 



Erruium : In Prof. Mills' article, page 442, para- 

 graph 3, line 6, for ' smell,' read ' suck.' 



