124 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXII. No. 812 



The increase in electric conductivity of the 

 egg at the beginning of development may be 

 due to increased permeability to ions or to 

 the liberation of ions from (physical or chem- 

 ical) combination with proteids, but it is im- 

 probable that the latter occurs to any great 

 extent, as no dilution of the egg contents 

 (swelling of the egg) takes place. 



We may conclude, then, that, at the begin- 

 ning of development, the egg becomes more 

 permeable to ions and thus the dissociated 

 carbon dioxide is liberated. This decrease in 

 an end product of oxidation in the egg allows 

 an acceleration of oxidation and the con- 

 sumption of oxygen. The decrease in oxygen 

 leads to its increased absorption. 



J. F. McClendon 



Boca Gkakde Key, Fla., 

 June 30, 1910 



GEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY AT THE 

 BOSTON-CAMBRIDGE MEETING 



In accordance with the custom of the past few 

 years, the officers of Section E did not ask for 

 titles of any papers to be read at the Boston- 

 Cambridge meeting, for the reason that the Geo- 

 logical Society of America, the Paleontologieal 

 Society and the Association of American Geog- 

 raphers held meetings for the reading of papers. 

 The meetings of these special societies occupied 

 all the time from Tuesday morning, December 28, 

 to Saturday night, January 1. 



There were twelve titles of papers presented to 

 Section E. These papers were read on Monday, 

 December 27, in the University Museum, Cam- 

 bridge, and were listened to by some fifty to 

 seventy-five geologists and geographers. Between 

 the morning and afternoon sessions many of those 

 present enjoyed lunch at special tables in Me- 

 morial Hall. 



The following officers for the Boston-Cambridge 

 meeting were elected: member of council, Pro- 

 fessor A. P. Brigham, and member of general 

 committee. Dr. G. Otis Smith. The sectional 

 offices were filled by the election of Dr. John M. 

 Clarke, state geologist, Albany, N. Y., as vice- 

 president for the ensuing year, and Dr. C. Willard 

 Hayes, chief geologist of the U. S. Geological 

 Survey, to serve as member of the sectional com- 

 mittee for five years. In accordance with a change 



in the constitution adopted at this meeting, the 

 following become members ex officio of the sec- 

 tional committee: Arnold Hague, president of the 

 Geological Society of America; Dr. E. 0. Hovey, 

 secretary of the Geological Society of America; 

 Professor H. C. Cowles, president of the Associa- 

 tion of American Geographers, and Professor A. 

 P. Brigham, secretary of the Association of Amer- 

 ican Geographers. 



As retiring president of the Paleontologieal 

 Society, Dr. John M. Clarke found it necessary 

 to decline the honor of his selection as vice- 

 president of Section E. The sectional committee 

 of Section E have therefore nominated Professor 

 Christopher W. Hall, professor of geology at the 

 University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, to be the 

 next vice-president. 



The sectional committee of Section E is consti- 

 tuted as follows : retiring vice-president, Reginald 

 W. Brock; vice-president, Christopher W. Hall; 

 secretary, F. P. Gulliver; preceding secretary, E. 

 0. Hovey; for one year, E. H. Barbour; for two 

 years, J. B. Woodworth; for three years, F. B. 

 Taylor; for four years, 6. K. Gilbert; for five 

 years, C. W. Hayes; president Geological Society 

 of America, Arnold Hague; secretary Geological 

 Society of America, E. 0. Hovey; president Asso- 

 ciation of American Geographers, H. C. Cowles; 

 secretary Association of American Geographers, 

 A. P. Brigham. 



VICE-PEESIDE>'TIAL ADDRESS 



The retiring vice-presidential address of Mr. 

 Bailey Willis on " Principles of Paleogeography " 

 was given on Tuesday evening in the Geological 

 Lecture Hall of the Massachusetts Institute of 

 Technology at eight o'clock. This was published 

 in SciEXCE, N. S., Vol. XXXI., p. 241. 



HABVABD COLLEGE OBSEEVATORY 



Professor E. C. Pickering invited the geologists 

 and geographers present at the meeting to visit 

 the Harvard College Observatory in Cambridge 

 on Monday afternoon from three to six. Professor 

 E. C. Pickering and Professor W. H. Pickering 

 met parties of geologists and geographers, num- 

 bering from ten to twenty, and turned them over 

 to the various members of the scientific staff of 

 the observatory. All portions of tlie observatory 

 were open to inspection, and while some of the 

 visitors spent most of their time in the study of 

 the astronomical photographs, others were more 

 interested in the study of variable stars, while 

 still others cared more to see the methods of 



