828 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVI. No. 412- 



Professor J. F. Kemp exhibited and de- 

 scribed a new model of Vesuvius. 



October 17. — Professor J. F. Kemp re- 

 viewed an unpublished paper by Dr. W. P. 

 Jenney on the reducing abilities of different 

 chemical compounds. 



Dr. Austin Eogers read a paper on the 

 orientation of the crystals in fossilized echino- 

 derms; and also reviewed papers on this sub- 

 ject by Cesaro and by Hessel. 



Octoher 24. — The following papers were re- 

 viewed : M. Michel-Levy, ' L'Eruption de la 

 Montague Pelee et les Volcans des Petites 

 Antilles ' ; M. J. Thierry, ' La Catastrophe de 

 la Martinique,' and M. P. de Montessus, ' Les 

 Manifestations volcanique et sismiques dans 

 le groupe des Antilles,' by Dr. A. A. Julien. 

 O. T. Hill, ' A Study of Pelee,' by Mr. G. I. 

 Pinlay. 



Octoher 31. — The following papers were re- 

 viewed : A. C. Lawson, ' The Eparchsean In- 

 terval,' a criticism on the use of the term 

 Algonldan {Bull. Univ. of Col.), by Mr. C. 

 W. Dixon. J. S. Flett, 'A Preliminary Ex- 

 amination of the Ash that fell on Barbados, 

 after the Eruption of St. Vincent, with chem- 

 ical analysis,' by Wm. Pollard and J. W. W. 

 Spencer, ' The Geological and Physical De- 

 velopment of Dominica [Quar. Jour, of 

 Geolog. 8oc. (Lend.)], by Mr. W. Campbell. 

 H. W. Shimee, 

 Secretary. 



THE LAS VEGAS SCIENCE CLUB. 



At a meeting held October 22 several mem- 

 bers of the club described the work they had 

 done during the summer. Mr. E. L. Hewett 

 had led a party of five westward across the 

 Jemez Mountains, and had explored the desert 

 in the region of the Chaco Mesa and beyond. 

 The characteristic features of the country 

 traversed were described, and numerous photo- 

 graphs taken by Mr. K. M. Chapman, a mem- 

 ber of the party, were exhibited. These photo- 

 graphs included excellent portraits of the two 

 surviving members of the tribe of Pecos In- 

 dians who inhabited the old Pecos pueblo 

 some seventy years ago. One of these has 

 since died, and the other is very old, so this 

 tribe will very shortly be extinct. Mrs. Coek- 

 erell described her trip to the Truchas Peaks, 



in the Santa Fe Eange, about 13,300 feet above 

 sea level. She exliibited a number of alpine 

 plants found above timber line on these peaks, 

 several being new to the flora of New Mexico. 

 There was also shown a very beautiful and 

 apparently undescribed Delphinium, found in 

 the forests on the peaks. Mr. T. D. A. Coek- 

 erell described his visit to Eoswell, in the 

 Pecos Valley, and exhibited some of the in- 

 sects and mollusca obtained. Practically noth- 

 ing was knovTu before of the insect fauna of 

 this region. Among the mollusca, the dis- 

 covery of a species of Unio at Eoswell was 

 especially interesting, no species of Unionidae 

 having been found before in New Mexico. 

 Some account was given of the deep lakes and 

 gypsum bluffs near Eoswell, and photographs 

 of these taken by Professor J. D. Tinsley were 

 exhibited. T. D. A. 0. 



DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE. 

 THE BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY. 



To THE Editor of Science: After the death 

 of Major J. W. Powell, director of the Bureau 

 of American Ethnology, the Secretary of the 

 Smithsonian Institution, of which the bureau 

 forms a part, has abolished the title of director, 

 and appointed the head curator of the Anthro- 

 pological Division of the U. S. National Mu- 

 seum ' chief ' of the bureau. Through this 

 action the independence of the two institu- 

 tions involved has been brought to an end. 



No severer blow could be dealt to the anthro- 

 pological interests of the country than the 

 subordination of the bureau to museum in- 

 terests, and no means could be devised to 

 hinder the development of the U. S. National 

 Museum more effectively, than its subordina- 

 tion under the bureau. The methods and 

 aims of the two institutions are fundamentally 

 distinct. The Bureau of American Ethnology 

 is charged with the investigation of the life 

 and customs of the North American Indians. 

 In its work it deals with their languages, insti- 

 tutions, religions, customs. So far as the cul- 

 ture of native tribes is expressed by tangible 

 objects, it may be illustrated in museums, 

 but the whole domain of human culture can- 

 not be represented by museum specimens. For 

 this reason no museum can undertake to de- 



