Mat 15, 1908] 



SCIENCE 



765 



TiTTMANN, Superintendent of the U. S. 



Coast and Geodetic Survey. 



Details the methods employed in de- 

 termining and marking the Alaskan bound- 

 ary. The length of the boundary is 

 about twelve hundred miles, extending 

 from the Arctic Ocean south along the 

 141st meridian to near Mt. St. Elias, and 

 thence along the coast strip of south- 

 eastern Alaska. In southeastern Alaska, 

 aluminum bronze monuments are placed 

 wherever it is practicable to do so, but, as 

 most of the turning points in the line are 

 inaccessible snow-clad peaks, they will be 

 defined by triangulation, connecting with 

 the work of the Coast and Geodetic Survey. 

 The initial point on the 141st meridian, 

 which is also being marked by monuments, 

 was determined by a telegraphic longitude 

 circuit, extending overland from Van- 

 couver through Canadian territory, and by 

 way of Seattle and the United States gov- 

 ernment cables, to Valdez and thence over- 

 land to the boundary. 



A Living Representative of the Most 

 Primitive Ancestors of the Plant King- 

 dom: George T. Moore, Marine Bio- 

 logical Laboratory, "Woods Hole, Mass. 

 Chodat has derived the green alggg from 

 the Palmellaceffi. In this family he points 

 out that there exist three principal stages 

 of conditions: (1) the Zoospore condition, 

 (2) the Sporangium condition, and (3) the 

 Tetraspora condition. The author thinks 

 that a better starting point is found in 

 Chlamydomonas, which also shows three 

 corresponding conditions, in addition to 

 the Zoospore type, namely the Yolvox 

 type, the Tetraspora type and the Endo- 

 sphmra type. The Tetraspora type of 

 Chlamydomonas has developed into the 

 Palmellacem and thence into the algse and 

 higher green plants. Even as high as the 

 mosses and ferns a Chlamiydomonas stage 

 is to be seen in the male gametes. 



The Influence of Heat and Chemicals on 

 the Starch Grain: Henry Kraemer, of 

 Philadelphia. 



From a study of "reserve starches" 

 and their behavior in relation to heat and 

 chemicals. Professor Kraemer concludes: 



(a) The starch grain consists of two nearly 

 related substances, the one a colloid, which 

 takes up aniline stains, and the other a 

 crystalloid, which becomes blue with iodine 



(b) The starch grain is made up of con- 

 centric layers, one series of which contains 

 a large proportion of crystalloids, while 

 the other alternate layers are composed 

 mostly of colloids, (c) The polarization 

 effects produced by the starch are at- 

 tributed to the crystalloidal substance. 

 (d) The starch grains retain their polariz- 

 ing properties up to 180° C. (e) At the 

 higher temperatures, in the case of the 

 potato starch, the double refraction be- 

 comes stronger. (/) While heating the 

 starch grains in water rapidly changes the 

 structure of the grain, it is upon the addi- 

 tion of chemicals or ferments that de- 

 naturization is brought about. 



A Contribution to the Knowledge of the 

 Fungi of Pennsylvania; Gasteromycetes: 

 D. R. SuMSTiNE, Wilkinsburg, Pa. 

 This is the initial paper by the author 

 giving a list of the fungi growing in Penn- 

 sylvania, and deals with the Gastero- 

 mycetes. Keys for the determination of 

 orders, families, genera and species are 

 given; about sixty species of Gastero- 

 mycetes are enumerated and their distribu- 

 tion is given by counties. The paper in- 

 cludes a bibliography of Pennsylvania 

 mycology and a short sketch of the my- 

 cologists who have worked in this field. 



Leaf Structures of the Bermuda Sand 

 Strand Plants: John "W. Harshburgee, 

 of the University of Pennsylvania. 

 The paper describes the adaptation of 



the leaf structures of the Bermuda sand 



