July 6, 1900.] 



SCIENCE. 



Society strongly recommending the estab- 

 lishment of a ISTational Standardizing 

 Bureau in "Washington by the government 

 was endorsed. 



At the request of Section G, the following 

 was adopted : 



Resolved, Tliat the American Association for the 

 Advancement of Science, recognizing the importance 

 of the preservation in its original condition of some 

 portion of the hard-wood forests of the Southern Ap- 

 palachian region, respectfully petitions Congress to 

 provide for the establishment in that region of a Na- 

 tional Forest Reserve. 



The action of the same section in adopt- 

 ing the resolution given below was ap- 

 proved : 



Whekeas, the Pacific Coast redvpood forests [Se- 

 qoia Sempervirens) are now practically all in the 

 hands of private owners, who hold them for lumber- 

 ing purposes ; and 



Whereas, this species occupiea a certain coast- 

 range belt of remarkable climatic characteristics, the 

 study of which ought to be of profound interest to 

 science ; and 



Whereas, the only other living Seqoia (usually 

 known as Sequoia gigantea) which the redwood rivals 

 in its proportions as well as in its interest to travellers 

 and to men of science, has already received protection 

 in part from the United States, by the establishment 

 of the Sequoia National Park and the General Grant 

 National Park, in the Sierra Nevadas ; 



Resolved, that the Botanical Section of the Ameri- 

 can Association for the Advancement of Science 

 strongly approves the recent efforts of the several soci- 

 eties, clubs, colleges, universities and private citizens 

 in California to create a public opinion that will re- 

 sult in the purchase and permanent preservation as a 

 public forest park, of a tract of over 25,000 acres, 

 largely made up of the primeval redwood forest, sit- 

 uated in the Santa Cruz mountains, forty miles south- 

 east of San Francisco and fifteen miles south of the 

 Leland Stanford Jr. University. 



The reports of those to whom grants for 

 research were made at the Columbus meet- 

 ing, approved by the proper sections and ac- 

 cepted by the Council, were as follows : 



REPOET OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE STUDY OF 

 THE WHITE RACE IN AMERICA. 

 The Committee on the study of the white race in 

 America report that in accordance with the plans pro- 



posed at the Columbus meeting they have made ar- 

 rangements to carry out physical and mental tests on 

 members of the Association at the present meeting, 

 and these are now being made. A report on this 

 work and on work of an anthropometric character 

 done under the auspices of this committee and else- 

 where has been made to Section H at its Christmas 

 meeting and at the present meeting, and it need here 

 only be remarked that the measurements of our mem- 

 bers will be of special interest when compared with 

 those of members of the British Association. In view 

 of the fact that instruments were at hand at the place 

 of meeting this year it was not necessary to purchase 

 them, but if the work is continued it will be neces- 

 sary to secure a set of instruments that will be the 

 property of this Association and can be sent from place 

 to place. We ask for this purpose an appropriation 

 of $50 to be added to the similar appropriation made . 

 last year. We'ask that the name of the Committee 

 be changed to Anthropometric Committee, thus limit- 

 ing and defining more exactly its scope. We ask that 

 the vacancy on the Committee caused by the death of 

 Dr. Brinton be filled by the appointment of Professor 

 Joseph Jastrow. 



J. McK. Cattell. 



F. Boas. 



W J McGee. 



REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE QUANTITA- 

 TIVE STUDY OF BIOLOGICAL VARIATION. 

 The Committee has held two meetings. The first 

 took place at New Haven during the Christmas recess, 

 Drs. Boas, Cattell and Minot being present. At this 

 meeting i t was planned to prepare a report on th e course 

 of study which should be pursued in preparation for 

 quantitative work in variation, and on the instruction 

 now given in variation in colleges. It was proposed 

 also to present a report on the history of the develop- 

 ment of the quantitative study of variation. This re- 

 port has been prepared by the recorder and read 

 before Section F. The second meeting of the Com- 

 mittee was held at the Hotel Majestic, New York, 

 June 25, 1900. Present, Drs. Cattell, Eigenmann 

 and Davenport. At this meeting a summary of the 

 results got by Mr. C. C. Adams, to whom the grant of 

 |50 was made, was received. The full report of Mr. 

 Adams is to be presented to Section F. As Mr. 

 Adams has not yet completed his studies it was 

 voted : To recommend that, if possible, one hundred 

 dollars be appropriated to the Committee on the 

 Quantitative Study of variation to aid Mr. C. C. 

 Adams in his further researches on the variation o£ 

 the genus lo. In case it is not feasible to appropriate 

 so large a sum the Committee recommends that so 

 much as possible be granted. 



