SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. III. No. 76. 



rock has been split up by meobanical means 

 into the minute grains of sand and clay then 

 the resulting material must have swelled to 

 twice its original volume. Lantern slides were 

 exhibited showing the shape of soil grains and 

 the relative size and surface area, and to illus- 

 trate some of the physical properties of sand 

 and clay. Slides were also shown illustrating 

 the texture of soils, and the economical impor- 

 tance of this subject in the distribution of crops 

 was pointed out, the texture of soils adapted to 

 many of the principal crops being shown. 



By the structure of soils is meant the arrange- 

 ment of the soil grains. This has an important 

 geological bearing and a very important eco- 

 nomic side. Slides were used to show grains 

 of soil unflocculated as they exist in a puddled 

 clay and flocculated as they exist in a loam soil. 

 The effect of this on the relation of soils to rain- 

 fall was explained and the economic importance 

 of the difierence in the conditions maintained 

 by the soils owing to the difference in the struc- 

 ture was pointed out. 



Topographic Nomenclature of Spanish America. 

 Mr. Rob't T. Hill, of the U. S. Geological Sur- 

 vey, read a paper upon the names given by the 

 Spanish people to the topographic features of the 

 United States, illustrating by appropriate lan- 

 tern slides. It was held that with one or two 

 exceptions, Spanish words could be found upon 

 the published maps for nearly all topographic 

 forms. Over fifty of these terms were defined 

 and illustrated, and Mr. Hill proposed that 

 many of them be adopted into the English lan- 

 guage and used for forms for which the latter 

 possess no appropriate terms. The paper will 

 be published in full. "W. F. Moesell. 



ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILA- 

 DELPHIA, MAY 26, 1896. 



A PAPER entitled ' Catalogue of the Species 

 of Cerion, with Descriptions of New Forms,' by 

 Henry A. Pilsbry and E. G. Vanatta, was pre- 

 sented for publication. 



Mr. Edw. Goldsmith reported that a speci- 

 men of supposed Geyserite from Hawaii had 

 been found by him to be an amorphous, soluble 

 sulphate of lime. The substance was found on 

 the edge of the crater of Kilauea, associated 

 with sulphur deposits. 



Prof Edw. D. Cope exhibited the skull of a 

 whale from the Miocene of the Yorktown epoch. 

 It adds another species to the whalebone 

 whales, and establishes their direct relations to 

 the Zeuglodonts. The elongation of the parie- 

 tal and frontal bones is characteristic. The 

 form is allied to the genus Cetotherium, and is 

 described under the name Cephalotropis coro- 

 natus. 



Dr. M. V. Ball described a human exance- 

 phalic monster born in about the seventh month. 

 The brain, although extruded, is well developed. 

 There are six digits on one hand. No reason 

 could be suggested for the occurrence, the par- 

 ents, grandparents and a number of brothers 

 and sisters being normal. 



Botanical Section, May 11, 1896, Dr. Chas. 

 Schaeffer, Recorder. — Mr. Thomas Meehan 

 stated that he had observed that the flowers of 

 Draha verna are often self-fertilized by the two 

 long arcuate stamens, while in Capsella, of the 

 same order, this is not the case. He believes 

 Draba to be both protandrous and protero- 

 genous. 



Mr. Beringer exhibited a very tomentose 

 specimen of Quercus alba, and gave new locali- 

 ties for Carex baratii. 



A committee, consisting of Edw. D. Cope, 

 Benjamin Sharp and H. Frank Moore, was ap- 

 pointed to draft resolutions for presentation to 

 the next meeting expressive of the Academy's 

 opinion on the subject of the anti- vivisection 

 bill now before Congress. 



Edw. J. Nolan, 

 , Recording Secretary. 



NEW BOOKS. 



Miscellaneous Papers by Heinrich Hertz, with an 

 introduction by Peof. Philip Lenabd, trans- 

 lated by D. E. Jones and G. A. Schott. 

 London and New York, Macmillan & Co., 

 Ltd. 1896. Pp. xxvi+340. $3.25. 



The Gypsy Moth. Edward M. Forbush and 

 Charles M. Fernald. Boston, Wright & Pot- 

 ter Printing Co. 1896. Pp. xii+495+C = 100. 



Biological Experimentation, its Functions and 

 Limits. Sir Benjamin Ward Richardson. 

 London, George Bell & Sons; New York, 

 The Macmillan Co. 1896. $1.00. 



