66 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVII. No. 



honorary members and twelve corresponding 

 members have been removed from the rolls 

 through failure to reply to communications for 

 five years or more. At the meeting three 

 honorary members were elected, viz. : Dr. 

 James Ward, professor of mental philosophy 

 in the University of Cambridge, England; 

 Professor J. D. Hooker, late director of the 

 Eoyal Botanical Gardens, Kew, England, and 

 Professor William Bateson, professor of zool- 

 ogy in the University of Cambridge, England. 

 There are now forty-nine honorary members 

 and one hundred and forty-sis corresponding 

 members upon the rolls. 



The recording secretary reported that there 

 were now five hundred active members of the 

 academy, nineteen of whom were associate 

 active members. Of the active members one 

 hundred and twenty-two are fellows. 



The chief features in the histoi-y of the 

 academy during the past fiscal year were the 

 exhibition of the progress of science which was 

 held at the American Museum of Natural 

 History, December 28 and 29, 1906, and the 

 celebration of the two hundredth anniversary 

 of the birth of the naturalist Linnseus on 

 May 23, 1907. 



After the reading of the reports was finished 

 the academy elected the following list of fel- 

 lows from among the active members : Wil- 

 liam Campbell, A. H. Elliott, L. P. Gratacap, 

 Eobert T. Hill, Isaac Adler, Emerson Mc- 

 Millin, Herman Knapp, John B. Smith, 

 Ernest E. Smith and Horace White. 



The treasurer's report showed that the 

 financial condition of the society was flourish- 

 ing. One feature of the report upon which 

 emphasis should be laid is the fact that the 

 academy has in its keeping two important 

 funds, the income of which is available for 

 the encouragement of scientific research. 

 These are the Esther Herrman Building Fund 

 and the John Strong Newberry Fund. Grants 

 from the income of these funds are made to 

 members of the academy or of the affiliated 

 societies upon application and endorsement by 

 the society of which the applicant is a member. 



The librarian's report showed a large in- 

 crease in the library and an enhancement of 

 value through the filling of some important 



vacancies in our sets of books. Members and 

 the public in general should bear in mind that 

 the library, which is cared for by the American 

 Museum of Natural History, may be freely 

 used any week day between the hours of nine 

 and five, and that such users are very welcome. 



According to the editor's report, part 3 of 

 Volume XVII. of the Annals is nearly ready 

 for distribution, and the printing of Volume 

 XVIII. has been begun. 



The annual election resulted in the choice 

 of the following ofiicers for the year 1908 : 



President — Charles F. Cox. 



Vice-Presidents — A. W. Grabau, Frank M. 

 Chapman, D. W. Hering, Adolf Meyer. 



Recording Secretary — Edmund Otis Hovey. 



Corresponding Secretary — Henry E. Crampton. 



Treasurer — Emerson MeMillin. 



Librarian — Ralph W. Tower. 



Editor — Edmund Otis Hovey. 



Councilors (three years) — Charles Lane Poor, 

 William J. Gies. 



Finance Committee — Charles F. Cox, George F. 

 Kunz, Frederic S. Lee. 



After the business meeting the members of 

 the academy and their friends sat down to- 

 gether at dinner, at the conclusion of which 

 the retiring president. Professor Nathaniel L. 

 Britton gave an address upon " The New York 

 Botanical Garden: Its Organization and Con- 

 struction" which was illustrated with stere- 

 opticon views. 



E. O. Hovey, 

 Recording Secretary 



THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. SECTION 

 OF BIOLOGY 



The section met on December 9, 1907, at 

 the American Museum of Natural History. 

 The following program was presented: 



The Effect of Oentrifuging the Eggs of the 

 Mollusc Cumingia: Professor T. H. 

 Morgan. 



Experiments were carried out in order to 

 discover whether the cleavage pattern in a type 

 with " determinate cleavage " is governed by 

 the distribution of the visible substances of 

 the egg, and also to discover whether the 

 formation of the embryo is possible when the 

 visible inclusions (" organ forming sub- 



