608 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. III. No. 



voyage to Hong Kong from San Francisco and 

 back by way of Java and India. Balanus tin- 

 tinahulum was the commonest of the species 

 represented ; the varieties zehra and spinosus, 

 although growing under identical conditions, 

 retained their individuality perfectly. 



The question of the constancy of varietal 

 characters was debated by Messrs. Sharp, 

 Pilsbry and Heilprin. 



Mr. Pilsbry also described a specimen of 

 Pugnv^ parvus, a Eingiculate mollusk. The 

 species is involute, a unique character, none of 

 the fossil forms of the family possessing it. He 

 also described a Central American Melanian 

 under the name Pachycheilus Dalli. It is dis- 

 tinguished by a remarkable double sinuation of 

 the outer lip which has a deep and wide Pleuro- 

 tonoid sinus above and a rounded, projecting 

 lobe in the middle, below which it is again re- 

 tracted. 



On the nomination of the Entomological Sec- 

 tion, Dr. Henry Skinner was elected Professor 

 in the Department of Insecta. 



In response to an invitation from the Com- 

 mittee having charge of the celebration of the 

 fiftieth year of Lord Kelvin's tenure of office as 

 Professor of Natural Philosophy in the Univer- 

 sity of Glasgow, General Isaac Jones Wistar 

 was appointed to represent the Academy on 

 the occasion. 



Entomological Section, Dr. Henry Skinner, Ee- 

 corder, March 25. — Dr. Geo. H. Horn made 

 a communication regarding the synomymy of 

 the Elateridffi. He specially described the 

 prosternvim of Liidius. A Lower California form 

 had the presternum of different shape from that 

 of other members of the genus, the mesosternum 

 being more protuberant. It will probably be 

 referred to Probothrium. 



Mr. Chas. S. Welles exhibited specimens of 

 the larva of Harrisimemna trisignata. When 

 fall grown they bore into wood preparatory to 

 changing into crysalids. 



A paper was read entitled ' The breeding 

 habits of Periplaneta orientalis,' by C. Few Seiss. 

 Three females deposited twenty-five egg cases. 

 Each of these contained sixteen eggs, so that a 

 new generation of four hundred cockroaches 

 was represented by the deposit. The first of 

 these egg cases were dropped May 5 and 14, 



1895, and were hatched November 9th. In 

 most cases the deposits were dropped with no 

 attempt at concealment, although in a few in- 

 stances they were placed in little trenches made 

 by the insect and then covered up. The de- 

 velopment of the capsules was described. The 

 young probably receive no maternal care or 

 protection. 



Mr. Lancaster Thomas exhibited an improved 

 form of insect net frame made of a continuous 

 piece of rounded aluminum wire. 



Mr. Westcott suggested linoleum as a substi- 

 tute for cork in the arrangement of insects. 

 Dr. Henry Skinner called attention to a fungus, 

 Polyporus betulinus, which might be used for the 

 same purpose with advantage. 



Mr. Wm. J. Fox stated that about ninety 

 species of Hymenoptera, six of which were 

 perhaps new to science, were included in the 

 collection of insects brought by Dr. A. Donald- 

 son Smith from western Somali Land, Africa. 

 Edward J. Nolan, 

 Becording Secretary. 



NEW BOOKS. 



Text-book of Comparative Anatomy, Part II. 

 Arnold Lang; translated by Henry M. 

 Bernard and. Matilda Bernard. London and 

 New York, Macmillan & Co. 1896. Pp. 

 xvi+618. $5.50. 



Memoirs of Frederick A. P. Barnard. John 

 Fulton. New York and London, Columbia 

 University Press, Macmillian & Co. 1896. 

 Pp. xii+485. $4.00. 



Water Supply. William P. Mason. New 

 York, John Wiley & Sons. London, Chap- 

 man & Hall, Ltd. 1896. Pp. iv+504. 



A Dictionary of the Names of Minerals. Albert 

 Huntington Chester. New York, John 

 Wiley & Sons. London, Chapman & Hall, 

 Ltd. 1896. Pp. xv+320. 



Geschichte der Explosivstoffe. S. J. Romocki. 

 Volumes 1 and 2. Berlin, Robert Oppen- 

 heimer. 1895, 1896. Pp. vi+394, xiv-1-324. 

 M 12. 



Twenty-first Annual Report of the Secretary of 

 the State Board of Health of Michigan. Lan- 

 sing, Robert Smith & Co. 1895. Pp. cxxiv 

 +444. 



