Apbil 29, 1910] 



SCIENCE 



679 



plicated. Some of these are • designed to disen- 

 chant the earth, while others draw to the pueblo 

 the gods of germination. The prayers are said to 

 the plumed serpent, represented by an archaic 

 effigy, to fertilize the earth. A personation of the 

 sky-god carrying the effigy of the plumed serpent, 

 emblematic of lightning, forms one act of the 

 great theatrical ceremony in the month of March; 

 this act is performed at night in the kivas in the 

 presence of the whole population of Walpi and 

 neighboring villages, and represents the return of 

 the sky-god, and the renewal of life on the earth 

 made dormant by the sorcery of evil-minded gods. 

 I. M. Casanowicz, 



Secretary 



THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



The 468th regular meeting of the society was 

 held March 19, 1910, in the main hall of George 

 Washington University, with President T. S. 

 Palmer in the chair and a good attendance of 

 members. Sixteen new members were elected. 



Under the heading brief notes and exhibition 

 of specimens Professor W. J. Spdllman exhibited 

 specimens of hoofs and foot bones of the solid- 

 hoofed, or mule-footed, hog, a breed now well 

 established but by no means new, since it was 

 known 2,000 years ago. 



H. W. Clark reported that he had observed 

 numerous birds and insects feeding on sap that 

 had oozed from a wounded spot on a red-oak tree. 

 Among the birds were the humming bird, wood- 

 peckers and flycatchers. 



The following communications were presented: 

 The Birds of Midway Island: Paul Babtsch. 



This paper was illustrated with photographs 

 and specimens to show the use of the Mcintosh 

 reflectoscope. 



The International Fisheries Regulations: Babton 



W. EveemanN. 



The paper by Dr. Bartsch was discussed by 

 President Palmer and others; that of Dr. Ever- 

 mann was also discussed by the president. 



The 469th regular meeting of the society was 

 held April 2, 1910, in the west hall of George 

 Washington University, with President Palmer in 

 the chair. 



Under the heading brief notes. Dr. C. Dwight 

 Marsh reported the receipt of some interesting 

 copepods from Dr. V. L. Shelford, of Chicago 

 University. Among them was the species Dia- 

 tomus Righardi, obtained from northern Lake 

 Michigan. 



President Palmer reported that Professor John 

 B. Watson, of Johns Hopkins University, would 

 act as warden of the Tortugas Bird Reservation 

 during the present season, and under the auspices 

 of the Carnegie Institution would continue his 

 investigations of the homing instincts of the 

 noddy and sooty terns. These birds, carefully 

 marked, will be carried farther north on the 

 Atlantic coast and inland than in former experi- 

 ments and also to the north and west sides of the 

 Gulf of Mexico with a view to determining the 

 length of time in which they find their way back 

 to the nesting grounds. 



The following communication was presented: 



A Hasty Visit to some Foreign Zoological Gar- 

 dens (illustrated with slides) : A. B. Bakee. 

 Mr. Baker's recent visit to Nairobi, Africa, to 

 bring home the animals presented to the National 

 Zoological Park by Mr. W. N. McMillan, afforded 

 an opportunity to visit some of the foreign zoolog- 

 ical gardens. Brief visits were made to those at 

 Manchester, London, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Amster- 

 dam, Berlin, Halle, Frankfort, Hamburg, Leipzig, 

 Breslau and Vienna in Europe and to the Gizeh 

 gardens in Egypt. A description of the grounds 

 and buildings was given. The illustrations were 

 mainly from ordinary picture post cards, thrown 

 on the screen by a reflectoscope. 



D. E. Lantz, 

 Recording Secretary 



THE SOCIETY FOK EXPEBIMENTAL BIOLOGY AND 



MEDICINE 



The thirty-seventh meeting was held at the 

 Physiological Laboratory of the New York Univer- 

 sity and Bellevue Hospital Medical College on 

 Wednesday, February 16, 1910, at 8:15 p.m., with 

 President Lee in the chair. 



Members Present : Atkinson, Auer, Banzhaf, 

 Cole, R. I., Flexner, Gies, Hiss, Jackson, Joseph, 

 Lee, Levin, Lusk, Mandel, A. R., MaeCallum, 

 MeClendon, Meltzer, Morgan, Morse, Opie, Park, 

 Rous, Shaklee, Stockard, Van Slyke, Wallace, 

 Weil. 



Officers elected: President— Dr. T. H. Morgan; 

 Vice-president— Dt. W. J. Gies; Secretary — Dr. E. 

 L. Opie; Treasurei — Dr. Graham Lusk. 



Neto members elected: Dr. J. V. Cooke, Dr. A. 

 R. DocheZj Professor J. B. Leathes. 



Scientific Program, 

 " A New Method for Determining the Activity 

 of Ferments and Antiferments," R. Weil and S. 

 Feldstein. 



