210 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XIX. No. 475. 



the upper atmosphere, and the author has 

 ascertained that the analogous optical 

 effects were observed in the eastern United 

 States about twenty days later than in cen- 

 tral Europe, which, assuming a movement 

 from the west of the dust-bearing currents, 

 indicates an approximate velocity of thirty 

 miles an hour, or considerably less than 

 that of the highest ice-clouds. After the 

 Krakatoa eruption in 1883 the rate of prop- 

 agation of the volcanic dust from east to 

 west, at a height above the equator calcu- 

 lated from the duration of the sunset colors, 

 was determined with considerable accuracy 

 by a committee appointed by the Royal 

 Society, and it is hoped that sufficient ob- 

 servations will now be collected to enable 

 the velocity of the highest currents above 

 the temperate regions to be deduced equally 

 well. Dayton C. Miller, 



Secretary. 



ZOOLOGY AT THE ST. L0VI8 MEETING. 



Section F of the American Association 

 for the Advancement of Science and the 

 Central Branch of the American Society of 

 Zoologists met in joint sessions at the St. 

 Louis Meeting for the reading of papers, 

 but held separate business meetings. On 

 Monday afternoon, December 28, the ad- 

 dress of Vice-President Hargitt before Sec- 

 tion F was read by Professor C. C. Nutting, 

 in the absence of the author, the subject 

 being ' Some Unsolved Problems of Organic 

 Adaptation.' Section F was organized 

 with the following officers : 



Vice-President — E. L. Mark, Harvard Univer- 

 sity. 



Secretary — C. Judson Herricli, Denison Univer- 

 sity. 



Councilor — A. M. Bleile. 



Sectional Committee — E. L. Mark, Vice-Presi- 

 dent 1904; C. W. Hargitt, Vice-President, 1903; 

 C. Judson Herriek, Secretary, 1904-1908. For 

 one year, H. F. Osborn ; for two years, S. H. Gage ; 

 for tliree years, C. H. Eigenmann; for four years, 

 H. B. Ward; for Ave years, Frank Smith. 



Memher of General Committee — Jacob Reigliard. 



Press Secretary — C. Judson Herricl'C. 



Joint sessions for the reading of papers 

 were held on Tuesday and Wednesday, at 

 which the following communications were 

 presented. Titles preceded by an asterisk 

 were presented by Section F ; others by the 

 Society of Zoologists. 



*T]ie Albatross Rookeries on Laysan: C. C. 



Nutting, University of Iowa. 



An exhibit of lantern slides after orig- 

 inal photographs taken by the author dur- 

 ing the Hawaiian cruise of the Albatross 

 in May, 1902. 



A Restricted Habitat of Scutigerella im- 

 maculata (Netvport), together with some 

 remarks on the Animal and its Habits: 

 Stephen R. Williams, Oxford, 0. 

 In the bed of a small branch of Four 

 Mile Creek, a tributary of the Great Miami 

 River, a comparatively large number of 

 specimens of this little centipede have been 

 found. As far as ascertained the range of 

 this particular group of this species is lim- 

 ited to a part of the bed of this small 

 branch perhaps 600- feet in length. A dis- 

 cussion of the surroundings in general, the 

 precise habitat which the animals seek, 

 some of their observed habits in captivity, 

 and one instance of breeding in confine- 

 ment, were included. Larvee have been 

 kept through one molt and certain bodies 

 which may possibly be eggs have been seen. 



On the Analogy between the Departure 

 from Optimum Vital Conditions and 

 Departure from Geographic Life Cen- 

 ters: Charles C. Adams, University of 

 Michigan. 



In a previous paper {Biological Bulletin, 

 III., 115-131) the writer briefly discussed 

 some of the criteria which may be used to 

 determine geographic life centers, and cer- 

 tain functional and structural changes re- 

 sulting from departure from such centers. 

 At the present time attention is called to 



