908 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. III. No. 77. 



Senate of the United States, protesting against 

 the enactment of any legislation upon the sub- 

 ject of vivisection. The following papers were 

 read : ' Practical Analytical Accuracy, ' by 

 Frederic P. Dewey ; ' A new Mode of 

 Formation of Tertiary and Quaternary Phos- 

 phines,' by P. Fireman; ' Metaphosphimic 

 Acids,' hy H. N. Stokes. 

 The Society adjourned until November. 

 A. C. Peale, 

 Secretary. 



ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILA- 

 DELPHIA, JUNE 2. 



Prof. Edward D. Cope made a second re- 

 port on his study of the ]-emains of extinct 

 animals found in the Port Kennedy Bone-Fis- 

 sure. Five species of reptiles and three of 

 birds had been found while forty species of 

 mammals, the distribution of which was given, 

 had been determined. Megalonyx Wheatleyi is 

 represented by at least fifty-five individuals, 

 the cave bear being of the next most frequent 

 occurrence, remains of twenty-five individuals 

 having been collected and twelve of the masto- 

 don, the latter mostly young. Mylodon is not 

 included in the list, although a trace of its 

 presence was found on the occasion of an earlier 

 exploration. Evidence was at hand that Mega- 

 lonyx dissimilis had been founded on the lower 

 teeth of M. Jeffersordi. An evolutionary series 

 of the teeth of Phenacodus, Fiber, Jsodelta and 

 Microtus was described. A porcupine formerly 

 regarded as distinct may belong to an existing 

 species. Four species of skunks of two distinct 

 genera, one of them new, Osmotherium, rectangu- 

 lar e, were described. A tooth formerly described 

 as belonging to a hyasna must be referred to 

 Uncia Merceri. The horse of the collection is 

 Equus complicatus. Other species indicated by the 

 remains were described and classified. Only 

 seven of the forty-eight species determined can 

 be said to be the same as existing forms. The 

 opossum and raccoon are entirely absent, al- 

 though abundantly present in the Post-Cham- 

 plain caves. A Tennessee cave had recently 

 been proven by Mr. Mercer to be intermediate 

 between that at Port Kennedy and those of 

 more recent date. It contained no remains of 

 man. 



The age of the Port Kennedy Fissure was 

 debated by Messrs. Heilprin and Cope. 



Dr. Harrison Allen described an interesting 

 skull of a j'oung Sandwich Islander from which 

 some of the teeth on the left side had been 

 knocked out at maturity, probably in commem- 

 oration of the death of a chief. The superior 

 maxilla of the edentulous side exhibits osteo- 

 porosis and the temporal muscle was evidently 

 weakened. Other evidences of the effect of dis- 

 use even after maturity had been attained 

 were pointed out, furnishing an important illus- 

 tration of the effect of nutrition and external 

 agencies on structure. 



Mr. F. J. Keele5' exhiljited microscopic prep- 

 arations of a fragment of supposed jade taken 

 from a carved Mexican figure in the Museum of 

 the Academy and others of genuine jade for 

 comparison. The Mexican mineral was found 

 to possess none of the characters of true jade. 

 The subject is of importance from an ethnologi- 

 cal point of view. Edw. J. Nolan, 



Recording Secretary. 



NEW BOOKS. 



Elementarcvrs der Zootomie in funfzehn Vorlesun- 

 gen. Dr. B. Hatschek and De. C. J. CoRi. 

 Jena, Gustav Fischer. 1896. Pp. viii + 103. 

 M. 6. Pp. 50. 



Sporozoenkunde Ein Leitfaden fUr Aerzte und Zo- 

 ologen. Dr. von Wasjelewski. Jena, Gus- 

 tav Fischer. 1896. Pp. vii-f 162. M. 4. 



Lehrbuch der okologischen Pflanzengeographie. 

 Dk. Eugen Warming. Berlin, Gebriider 

 Borntraeger. 1896. Pp. xii+412. 



The Magnetic Circuit in Theory and Practice. 

 Dr. M. du Bois, translated by Dr. Atkin- 

 son. Longmans, Green & Co., London, New 

 York and Bombay. 1896. Pp. xviii + 366. 



The Gyjmj Moth. Edward M. Forbush and 

 Charles H. Feenald. Boston, Wright & 

 Potter Printing Co. 1896. Pp. sii+495+c. 



Indiana, Department of Geology and Natural Se- 

 sources. W. S. Blatchley. Indianapolis, 

 State Printer. 1896. Pp. vi+520. 



Missouri Botanical Garden. Seventh Annual 

 Report. St. Louis Mo., Published by the 

 Board of Trustees. 1896. Octavo pages 

 1-209, plates 1-66, and 6 unnumbered plates. 



