626 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXIII. No. 590. 



tribes, both in this country and Europe, 

 has a recognizable similarity, while the 

 same is true of tribes of warmer countries. 

 There is little similarity between the pot- 

 tery of the Nebraska aborigine and the pot- 

 tery of the Mexican aborigine. There is 

 much similarity between the pottery of the 

 Nebraska aborigine and the aborigines of 

 England, Ireland and Scandinavia. The 

 pottery which we know to be the oldest in 

 Nebraska shows a greater degree of art 

 than the specimens we know were made 

 just prior to contact with the whites. 



Preliminary Work in Experimental Evo- 

 lution: Frederic E. Clements. 

 The work done at the Alpine Laboratory 

 at Minnehaha near Pikes Peak during the 

 past six years concerns itself chiefly with 

 measuring the physical factors of the many 

 habitats, and the study of plant and vege- 

 tation diflierences arising from them. In 

 1905 a beginning was made in the matter 

 of tracing the evolution of new forms. 

 The problem was attacked simultaneously 

 from the three standpoints of variation, 

 mutation and adaptation. Careful obser- 

 vations were made upon variable and 

 mutable species, and a number of plastic 

 and stable species were moved from their 

 original homes to new and widely diiferent 

 habitats. The seeds of a munber of species 

 which had already produced new forms by 

 adaptation to two or more habitats were 

 planted in the greenhouse in order to de- 

 termine to what degree the new characters 

 had become fixed. 



Species of Filaria found in Human Blood: 

 H. B. Ward. ("With lantern slides.) 

 Circulating in the human blood at times 

 are found minute round worms which are 

 denominated collectively microfilariEe. They 

 are embryonic forms, and though exceed- 

 ingly uniform in general appearance, rep- 

 resent at least ten or twelve species of 

 filariu\ Their structure is simple and only 



imperfectly known in detail, while the gen- 

 eral size constitutes the common means of 

 distinction. Certain of these forms mani- 

 fest a periodicity in their appearance in the 

 peripheral circulation which causes them 

 to be classed as nocturnal or diurnal. In 

 some forms the greatly attenuated vitelline 

 membrane persists as a delicate sheath sur- 

 rounding the circulating embryo and offers 

 another mark of distinction. It has been 

 shown that some species pass the next stage 

 of their life history in a mosquito, from 

 which they are enabled to pass to a new 

 host when the insect is biting. They reach 

 maturity in the subdermal connective tis- 

 sue, or in lymph glands, whence the 

 myriads of embryos produced by the fe- 

 male enter the blood to begin anew the life 

 cycle. The life history of other forms is 

 entirely conjectural. A synopsis of known 

 forms was presented. 



P. D. Heald, 

 Secretary. 

 Lincoln, Nebraska. 



SCIENTIFIC BOOKS. 

 A Bibliography of Physical Training. By 



J. H. McCuRDY, M.D. New York, G. E. 



Stechert & Co. Published by the Physical 



Directors' Society of the Y. M. C. A. of 



North America. Springfield, Mass. 1905. 



8vo, pp. 369. Price $3.00. 



One of the greatest obstacles that workers 

 and students in the field of physical education 

 have encountered has been the lack of a bib- 

 liography on the subject. The literature of 

 physical training embraces such a wide range 

 of topics that several individuals and com- 

 mittees who attempted to compile it, very soon 

 gave up the task. That Dr. MeCurdy had the 

 patience and perseverance to keep on with the 

 work for nearly fourteen years is evidence of 

 his ability and his devotion to the cause of 

 physical training. 



The author had exceptional opportunities 

 for doing the work thoroughly, for the library 

 of the International Training School, with 

 which Dr. McCurdy is connected, contains 



