January 31, 1902.] 



SCIENCE. 



191 



than stone : at the Cape of Good Hope the 

 piers of the meridian circle were iron cylinders 

 filled with water. At the Naval -Observatory 

 the marble piers of the six-inch meridian cir- 

 cle had shown a change in azimuth of 0".3 for 

 10° Fahr., and had recently been replaced by 

 brick. 



Chables K. Wead, 



Secretary. 



NEW YORK academy OF SCIENCES. 

 SECTION OF BIOLOGY. 



A REGULAR meeting of the Section of Biol- 

 ogy ^was held on Dec. 9, Professor Bashford 

 Dean presiding. The following papers were 

 jiresented : 



'The Action of Alcohol on Muscle': F. S. Lee 

 and W. Salant. 



'Instincts of Lepidoptera': A. G. Mayer. 



'The Natural History of some Tube-forming 

 Annelids': H. R. Linville. 



The first paper, presented by Professor Lee, 

 consisted of an account of an investigation 

 carried out by the two authors jointly, by very 

 exact methods, pure ethyl alcohol being used, 

 and isolated muscles of the frog in the normal 

 and in the alcoholized condition being com- 

 pared. It is found that the muscle which has 

 absorbed a moderate quantity of pure alcohol 

 will contract more quickly, relax more slowly, 

 perform a greater number of contractions in 

 a given time, and become fatigued more slowly 

 than a muscle without alcohol. The effect is 

 most pronounced in from one half to three 

 quarters of an hour after the liquid has begun 

 to be absorbed, and later diminishes. Wheth- 

 er the alcohol exerts this beneficial action upon 

 the muscle substance itself or on the nerves 

 within the muscle is not yet certain. The 

 results allow no conclusion regarding the ques- 

 tion whether the alcohol acts as a food or in 

 some other manner. In larger quantities its 

 presence is detrimental, diminishing the whole 

 number of contractions, inducing early fa- 

 tigue, and diminishing the total amount of 

 work that the muscle is capable of perform- 

 ing, even to the extent of abolishing the con- 

 tractile power entirely. In such quantities 

 the action is distinctly poisonous. The after- 

 effects of either small or large doses have not 

 yet been studied. 



Dr. Mayer reported upon a number of ex- 

 periments designed to determine the nature 

 and duration of associative memory in lepidop- 

 terous larvse. In one series the larvse were 

 placed in a wooden box divided into two com- 

 partments by a central partition, which was 

 pierced by a small opening. On one side of 

 the partition was placed moist earth contain- 

 ing growing food-plants, while the other cham- 

 ber was barren. The larvse were placed in the 

 latter and foimd their way through the open- 

 ing to the food. Apparently they never learn- 

 ed the path to the food, but always wandered 

 aimlessly about, never shortening their paths. 

 Wlien the food was removed, however, they 

 rarely entered this side of the box, showing 

 that it was the presence of the food that at- 

 tracted them. Individual temperament is very 

 well shown by the larvse, for some quickly find 

 the food, while others are much slower. This 

 quickness is not due to superior intelligence, 

 however, but is owing to the fact that these 

 larvse remain quiet for shorter periods of time 

 than the slower ones. A number of experi- 

 ments were made upon larvse which devour 

 only special kinds of leaves. These can be 

 induced to eat sparingly of previously uneat- 

 able food if the sap of their proper food- 

 plant be rubbed into the previously distaste- 

 ful leaves. Similarly, they can be prevented 

 from devouring their proper food-plant if the 

 juices of uneatable plants be rubbed into the 

 substance of the leaves. However, they can 

 always be induced to bite at or devour any 

 foreign substance if one allows the larva to 

 commence eating its proper food, and then 

 slides up in front of it a distasteful leaf, sheet 

 of paper, tinfoil, etc. The larva will take a 

 few bites of the foreign substance, but will 

 soon draw back its head, snapping its man- 

 dibles with apparent disgust or aversion. Very 

 soon, however, it recommences to eat in a 

 normal manner. If, now, the foreign sub- 

 stance be presented to the larva at intervals 

 of one and one half minutes or more, about 

 the same nvimber of bites is taken at each pres- 

 entation, thus showing that the larva does not 

 remember its disagreeable experience for this 

 interval. If, however, the interval be about 

 thirty seconds the larva will take fewer and 



