576 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVII. No. 693 



Mayer, has been issued during the year, 

 and he has submitted for publication a 

 comprehensive monograph on the medusse 

 of the world. Manuscript for two volumes 

 of researches by associates of the depart- 

 ment is also now ready for the press. 



DEPARTMENT OF MERIDIAN ASTEOMETRT 



The work of this department during the 

 year was mainly devoted to preparations 

 for its larger enterprise of a comprehensive 

 catalogue giving accurate positions of all 

 stars from the brightest to the seventh mag- 

 nitude, inclusive. Amongst these prepara- 

 tions is a preliminary catalogue, embracing 

 the precise positions for upwards of 6,000 

 stars, which has been brought to substantial 

 completion during the year. This will not 

 only be of great service to the department, 

 but it will be of signal aid also to astro- 

 nomical science in general. 



Preparations for the establishment of a 

 temporary observatory in the southern 

 hemisphere are likewise approaching com- 

 pletion. An exhaustive study of the 

 meridian instrument to be used at this ob- 

 servatory has been made, so that its con- 

 stants and peculiarities may be well known 

 before observations with it are begun. 



The exquisite and penetrating precision 

 of modern stellar research is not alone in- 

 teresting and useful by reason of its appli- 

 cations to geography, geodesy and naviga- 

 tion. It is illuminating also many recon- 

 dite questions concerning the constellations, 

 the motions, the masses and the relative 

 distances asunder of the universe of stars. 

 Some of the possible investigations to which 

 these questions may give rise are referred 

 to in the report of Professor Boss, director 

 of the department. 



THE NUTRITION LABORATORY 



In conformity with provision made by 

 the board of trustees at their last meeting 

 for the establishment of a laboratory to be 



devoted especially to an extension of the 

 physical and chemical investigations in nu- 

 trition carried on hitherto under the direc- 

 tion of Professors Atwater and Benedict, 

 steps were taken early in the year to select 

 a suitable site and to prepare tentative 

 plans for the building. Since experiments 

 on men in an abnormal as well as in a 

 normal condition of nutrition are contem- 

 plated, one of the first requirements of a 

 site was proximity to hospitals whence 

 pathological cases may be furnished. 

 Among other requirements, those of mod- 

 erate cost of land and the availability of 

 water, gas and electric current had to be 

 considered; while favorable climatic condi- 

 tions and convenience and cost of living 

 for the laboratory staff were important 

 desiderata. After preliminary considera- 

 tion of this project by the executive com- 

 mittee, the matter was referred to its sub- 

 committee on nutrition, and the latter 

 committee in turn requested the president 

 and Professor Benedict to examine and to 

 report upon the relative advantages of 

 various available sites in the cities of Bos- 

 ton, New York, Philadelphia and Balti- 

 more. A week's time was devoted to this 

 task, and, after further consideration by ., 

 the subcommittee, it was decided to locate 

 the proposed laboratory in the city of 

 Boston, on Vila Street, near the power 

 house of the Harvard Medical School. 



The site selected was purchased from the 

 corporation of "The President and Fel- 

 lows of Harvard College" on March 13, 

 1907. The area of this site is 14,312 square 

 feet, and the price paid is $10,466.70. 



On the date just mentioned Messrs. 

 Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge, architects, 

 of Boston, were engaged to prepare plans 

 and specifications and to superintend the 

 construction. Preliminary plans were pre- 

 sented by them to the executive committee 

 at its meeting of April 8, 1907, and were 

 approved and the president was authorized 



