304 



SCIENCE. 



[N.S. Vol. XIX. No. 477. 



development, the growth of the gametophytes, 

 pollination and fertilization. Pollination is 

 largely dependent upon the surface film of 

 water. The functionless pollen tubes swell up 

 into ' eystoids ' in the ovarian cavity. These 

 enlargements contain the male structures, still 

 showing themselves as distinct cells instead of 

 nuclei only. Double fertilization occurs and 

 the oospore divides before the endosperm 

 nucleus. — ^A paper on the ' Chemotropism of 

 Eoots,' by F. 0. Newcombe and Anna L. 

 Rhodes, records Lupinus albus roots as posi- 

 tively chemotropic toward disodium phosphate, 

 no concentration of the salt producing a nega- 

 tive curve. Eoots will bend into a solution 

 strong enough to kill them. There is no 

 evidence of osmotropism. Roots of Cucurhita 

 pepo exhibit a general indifference to chem- 

 icals, showing no chemotropism even toward 

 disodium phosphate. — ' A Botanical Survey of 

 the Huron River Valley,' by L. H. Weld, forms 

 a second contribution to the botanical survey 

 of this region undertaken under the direction 

 of Professor Spalding. The paper gives de- 

 tailed accounts of the soil and vegetation. 

 The author's plan has been to give exact data, 

 so that a comparative study may be made in 

 the future by himself or others. Vegetation 

 is considered largely from the dynamic stand- 

 point. — ' Southwestern Plants,' by L. N. Good- 

 ding, is a paper describing a number of new 

 species, chiefly from southern Nevada and 

 Utah. — W. C. Coker publishes a series of fig- 

 ures of the sprouting spores of Equisetum, 

 showing great variation, and also describes 

 spore distribution in liverworts. — J. B. Farm- 

 er explains his views of the quadripolar 

 spindle in the Hepatieas, in view of the fact 

 that several late papers seemed to attack it. 



The contents of The Journal of Compara- 

 tive Neurology for December are as follows: 



O. P. Jenkins and A. J. Carlson : ' The Rate 

 of the Nervous Impulse in the Ventral Nerve-Cord 

 of Certain Worms.' 



O. S. Stkong : ' Notes on the Technique of Wei- 

 gert's Method for Staining Medullated Nerve 

 Fibers.' 



C. JuDSON Heerick : ' The Doctrine of Nerve 

 Components and some of its Applications.' 



B. F. Kingsbury : ' Columella Auris and Nervus 

 Facialis in the Urodela.' 



Editorials and reviews. 



A MONTHLY journal for teachers, of mathe- 

 matics, entitled ' School Mathematics,' edited 

 by Messrs. George W. Myers and G. E. Line- 

 berger has begun publication. It is a con- 

 tinuation of the mathematical supplement of 

 ' School Science.' 



Dr. Toulouse has become editor of the 

 Revue Scientifique, the French weekly journal 

 whose scope most nearly corresponds with 

 that of Nature and of Science. Dr. Toulouse 

 is director of the laboratory of experimental 

 psychology at the Paris Ecole des Hautes 

 Etudes and editor of the ' International 

 Library of Experimental Psychology,' now be- 

 ing published in fifty volumes. 



It is said that there will shortly be pub- 

 lished at Paris a monthly journal devoted to 

 radium and called Le radium. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 



THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. 



The 149th meeting was held on January 13, 

 1904. The following papers were presented in 

 the regular program. 



The Worlc of the Strasshurg Beismological 



Congress: H. F. Reid. 



Professor Reid, who was the official delegate 

 from the United States, stated that the con- 

 gress was held in response to a call from the 

 German government to discuss the organiza- 

 tion of an international seismological associa- 

 tion. The congress was attended by official 

 delegates from nineteen countries, and two 

 others were unofficially represented. 



The conference resulted in the determina- 

 tion of the form of an international seismolog- 

 ical association, which will be submitted to all 

 civilized nations of the world by the German 

 government. The most important clauses of 

 the constitution are as follows : 



" The object of the association is the study 

 of seismological problems, whose solution is 

 only possible by the cooperation of many ob- 

 servatories in all parts of the world. The 

 principal means of attaining this object are: 

 (a) Observations according to common prin- 

 ciples; (&) experiments on problems of special 

 importance; (c) foundation and support of 



