SCIENCE 



A WEEKLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE, PUBLISHING THE 



OFFICIAL NOTICES AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION 



FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 



Friday, April 1, 1904. 



CONTENTS: 



Meeting of Section E of the American Asso- 

 ciation for the Advancement of Science 

 and of the Geological Society of America: 

 De. George B. Shatiuck 521 



The Metric System : Professor W. Le Conte 

 Stevens £34 



'The Australasian Association: P. Marshall 537 



Scientific Books: — 



Mason on Aboriginal Basketry: Professor 

 LrviNGSTOJsr -Faeeand. Artwld on the 

 Paleontology and Stratigraphy of the Ma- 

 rine Pliocene and Pleistocene of San Pedro, 

 Cal.: Peofessoe John C. Meeriam 538 



Scientific Journals and Articles 541 



Societies and Academies: — ■ 



The American, Philosophical Society. The 

 American Physical Society: Professor Er- 

 nest Merhitt. The Geological Society of 

 Washington: Alfred H. Beooks. The 

 Biological Society of Washington: Wilfred 

 H. Osgood. The Philosophical Society of 

 Washington: Chaelbs K. Wead. The 

 Northeastern Section of the American 

 Chemical Society: Aethue M. Comey.... 541 



Discussioti and Correspondence: — 



Convocation Week: Peofessoe William 

 NoETH Rice. Natural Selection in Kinetic 

 Evolution: 0. F. Cook. Nature Study: E. 

 C. Case 548 



Special Articles: — 



Experiments in Rearing Wild Finches hy 

 Foster-parent Birds: W. E. D. Scott. 

 Notes on Polyodon I.: Geoege Wagner. . . 551 



■Current Notes on Meteorology : — 



Climate in the Philippines; Conditions of 

 Atmosphere during Fogs; Notes: Peo- 

 fessoe R. DeC. Waed 555 



The Pelee Cluh 556 



Tresident Eliot 557 



Scientific Notes and News 557 



■University and Educational Neivs 560 



MSS. intended for publication and books, etc.. intendPd 

 ^OT review should be sent to the Editor of Science, '^nrn- 

 ■aon-nn-Hndaon, N. Y. 



MEETING OF SECTION E OF THE AMERICAN 

 ASSOCIATION FOR TEE ADVANCEMENT 

 OF SCIENCE AND OF THE GEOLOG- 

 ICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. 



PAPERS READ BEFORE SECTION E. 



A71 American Geographers Union: Wm. 



M. Davis. 



There is to-day no geographical society 

 in the United States of organization and 

 rank similar to those of the Geological So- 

 ciety of America. It is believed that the 

 advance of geographical science would be 

 promoted by the organization of a profes- 

 sional society in which only those who have 

 published papers based on original obser- 

 vation should be eligible to membership. 

 A method of beginning the organization of 

 such a society is suggested. 



The Concentration of Geographical Publi- 

 cations: Israel C. Eussell. (Read by 

 title.) 



The immediate welfare and future devel- 

 opment of geographical science demand 

 that there shall be a union or concentration 

 of the several journals, proceedings, maga- 

 zines, etc., now issued by geographical so- 

 cieties in North America, and one well- 

 written, well-edited, well-illustrated and 

 well-printed monthly magazine issued. 

 Some of the advantages of such centraliza- 

 tion are : 



The convenience of reading or consulting one 

 publication instead of many. 



Less expense, as may be judged, of issuing one 

 publication in place of several. 



The much less expense to subscribers of one 

 publication instead of ten or more as at present. 

 The larger audience to be secured by one cen- 

 tralized bureau of publication than by any one 



