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SCIENCE, 



[N. S. Vol. XXV. No. 641 



tion. This simplifies greatly tlie business 

 management of the venture, insures more 

 rapid appearance of the abstracts, and should 

 appeal strongly to the patriotism of all Amer- 

 ican chemists. It was feared at the outset 

 that the project might not be a financial suc- 

 cess, and that the necessary increase in the 

 membership dues from five dollars to eight 

 dollars v^ould be followed by many resigna- 

 tions. This fear was apparently groundless. 

 But few resignations have been received as 

 the result of this increase in dues. On the 

 contrary, the membership of the society is now 

 increasing more rapidly than ever before. 



The value to the profession of such a 

 journal can scarcely be overestimated. It will 

 not only bring before every American chemist 

 a concise summary, in his own native tongue, 

 of all important chemical investigations, thus 

 enabling him to keep abreast of the progress 

 of the science, stimulating and encouraging 

 research, but, furthermore, as it covers all 

 branches of the subject, it should prove a most 

 potent factor in drawing together in bonds of 

 closer cooperation all chemists in this country. 



Its only rival at the present time is the 

 Chemisches Zentralhlatt of the German Chem- 

 ical Society, which has had a monopoly of this 

 field for many decades. It is much more ex- 

 pensive than Chemical Ahstracts, and in some 

 respects (notably on the technical side) is not 

 so complete. On the other hand, the German 

 publication is superior to ours in certain 

 points — it appears weekly, instead of twice a 

 month; diagrams and illustrations are more 

 freely used; and the abstracts do not have to 

 be condensed quite as much, not only because 

 they have more space available, but also be- 

 cause of a much more extensive use of abbre- 

 viations. 



In Chemical Abstracts the American 

 Chemical Society has produced a most excel- 

 lent journal, and all American chemists 

 should rally to its support, to make it, as it 

 should be, the best of its kind in the world. 

 Those who are not already members can best 

 assist by joining at once and urging others to 

 do likewise.' Marston Taylor Bogert 



' The secretary of the society is Dr. W. A. 

 Noyes, Bureau of Standards, Washington, D. C. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 

 THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY 



A REGULAR meeting of the Physical Society 

 was held in Fayerweather Hall, Colimibia 

 University, on March 2, 1907. In the absence 

 of the president. Professor W. 0. Sabine was 

 made temporary chairman. 



An address was delivered before the society 

 by Professor O. Lummer, of the University of 

 Breslau, on ' The Temperature of the Sun and 

 Eecent Solar Theories.' 



The following papers were then presented: 



E. F. Nobtheup: ' On the Forces on the Interior 

 of a Conductor Carrying Current.' 



C. W. Waidner and G. K. Burgess : ' The Radi- 

 ation from, and the Melting Points of, Palladium 

 and Platinum.' 



F. M. Pedeeson : ' The Viscosity of Certain Iso- 

 meric Ether Compounds.' 



J. G. CoEEiN : ' The Effect of Frequency upon 

 the Capacity of Absolute Condensers.' 



C. C. Trowbridge: 'The Physical Nature of 

 Meteor Trains.' 



C. C. Trowbridge: 'On Atmospheric Drifts 

 above Fifty Miles from the Surface of the Earth.' 



0. C. Perky: 'On the Current carried by Canal 

 Rays in a Discharge Tube.' 



Carl Babus : ' The Equations of the Fog Cham- 

 ber. 



W. G. Cady : ' Note on the Hissing Metallic Arc' 



F. L. Tdets : ' The Relation between Luminosity 

 and Electrical Conductivity of Flames.' 



Ernest Mereitt, 



Secretary 



the biological SOCIETY OP WASHINGTON 



The 425th meeting was held on February 9, 

 1907, with President Stejneger in the chair. 



Dr. A. D. Hopkins read a paper, illustrated 

 with lantern slides, on ' Some Eesults of 

 Anatomical Investigations of the Thoracic 

 Segment of Insects.' The substance of this 

 paper will appear in a bulletin of the Bureau 

 of Entomology. 



Mr. T. H. Kearney spoke on ' The Date 

 Pabn in the Northern Sahara,' illustrating his 

 subject with a large number of lantern slides. 

 He described the oases of southern Tunis and 

 especially the group known as the Djerid, 

 where numerous fine varieties are grown. 

 Methods of irrigating, cultivating, pollinating 



