March 14, 1902.] 



SCIENCE. 



429 



'The Strength, of Nebraska-grown Catalpa 

 and Osage Orange,' by Professor G. E. Chat- 

 burn, a paper of considerable practical im- 

 portance for the suggestions made as to the 

 properties of the woods named for various 

 economic purposes. 



'Progress of the State Botanical Survey': 

 Dr. EoscoE Pound. 



'The Present Knowledge of the Distribu- 

 tion of Daimonelix,' by Professor E. H. Bar- 

 bour, detailing the gTeat extension in range 

 of this curious fossil which has resulted from 

 the work of the State and national geological 

 surveys, together with researches carried on 

 by private individuals in Nebraska and adjoin- 

 ing States. 



'Some Eecent Changes in the Nomencla- 

 ture of Nebraska Plants,' by Professor C. E. 

 Bessey, these changes being rendered neces- 

 sary by the modifications of nomenclature in- 

 troduced in recent botanical text-books. 



'Eelative Humidity in Dwelling Houses,' 

 by Professor G. A. Loveland, giving the re- 

 sults of experiments upon the humidity of 

 houses heated by various means, and the re- 

 sults of experiments with various expedients 

 to increase the degree of moisture. 



'A New Form of Sunshine Eecorder,' by 

 Professor G. D. Swezey, describing an instru- 

 ment capable of registering not only the total 

 amount and hours of sunshine during the day, 

 but also varying intensity. 



'Suggestions for a Eevision of AlysicUum' : 

 Dr. EoscoE Pound. 



'Preliminary Table of the Described 

 Species of Andrena' : Professor L. Bruner. 



'Some Observations on the Leeches of Ne- 

 braska': Professor Henry B. Ward. 



The last three papers were largely sys- 

 tematic. 



' 'Plant Formations of Colorado': Dr. F. E. 

 Clements. 



'Some Experiments on the Paving Bricks 

 of Nebraska': Mr. C. A. Fisher. 



'Discovery of the Laramie Cretaceous in 

 Nebraska,' by Mr. C. A. Fisher, in which he 

 called attention to observations which ex- 

 tended the formation over the Wyoming line 

 into Nebi-aska. 



'Notice of certain fine Selenite Crystals 



from Cedar County, Nebraska': Professor 

 G. E. Condra. 



Forty-five members of the Academy were in 

 attendance and an unusual amount of in- 

 terest manifested. The secretary reported on 

 the publication of Vol. VII. of the Proceed- 

 ings, being a volume of 170 pages and 15 

 plates, which had recently come from the 

 press, and also upon the plans for the im- 

 mediate publication, as Vol. VIII., of the 

 proceedings of the present meeting. 



Forty-four new members were elected and 

 the following ofiicers decided upon for the 

 ensuing year: 



President, Professor J. H. Powers, Doane Col- 

 lege, Crete; Vice-President, Professor H. B. Dun- 

 eanson, State Normal, Peru; Secretary, Dr. E. H. 

 Wolcott, State University, Lincoln; Treasurer, 

 Professor G. A. Loveland, United States Weather 

 Bureau, Lincoln ; Directors, Mr. William Cleburne, ■ 

 Omaha; Dr. C. H. Gordon, Lincoln; Professor A. 

 A. Tyler, Bellevue College, Bellevue; Dr. A. S. 

 Von Mansfelde, Ashland. 



The Academy passed resolutions commend- 

 atory of the United States Hydrographic Sur- 

 vey, and also resolutions endorsing the pro- 

 posal to establish tree-planting reserves in 

 Cherry County, Thomas County and in Grant 

 and Arthur Counties in the sand-hill region of 

 the State. 



After the transaction of other minor busi- 

 ness the Society adjourned for one year. 

 EoBT. H. Wolcott, 



Secretary. 



PinLOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF WASHIXGTON. 



At the 547th meeting, held February 15, 

 1902, Dr. A. L. Day continued his paper begun 

 at the previous meeting. He reviewed briefly 

 the history of high temperature measurement 

 from the Wedgewood clay pyrometer (1782) 

 down to the most modern mechanical, elec- 

 trical and optical methods. The interesting 

 development of gas thermometry was treated 

 in some detail ; the remarkable early measure- 

 ments of Prinsep, Pouillet and Becquerel 

 with the more perfect gases and metallic 

 bulbs; the hardly less remarkable, but unfor- 

 tunate, experiments of Sainte-Claire Deville 

 and Troost with iodine vapor in porcelain 

 bulbs, which led pyrometric measurement in 



