672 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXIII. No. 852 



characters it is necessary to grow hundreds of the 

 hybrid plants or animals in order to secure reliable 

 averages, while with xenia characters similar num- 

 bers can be secured by a single pollination and 

 can be observed the same season that the cross is 

 made. 



Crosses between white varieties and those pos- 

 sessing a variety of aleurone colors has shown that 

 the law of dominance holds with considerable 

 regularity. Instances of partial dominance occur 

 but are comparatively infrequent. One case was 

 reported in which a blue aleurone color was de- 

 finitely recessive to white. In the second or per- 

 jugate generation segregation, while comparatively 

 definite, seems not to result in the usual ratios. 

 Out of 200 different combinations only 16 approxi- 

 mated the usual ratios of a monohybrid. There 

 was a great variety in the ratios obtained, the most 

 frequent bemg one colored to two colorless, or 

 33J per cent. This was approximated within twice 

 the probable error in 22 instances out of 200. It 

 was poiuted out that this 1 : 2 ratio could not be 

 explained by supposing that pure recessive or pure 

 dominants were unable to develop. The regular 

 arrangement of seeds on the ear would render 

 omissions of this kind apparent. 



Since the number of seeds on the individual ears 

 was large enough to afford reliable averages, it 

 was held that the differences found were signifi- 

 cant, while any attempt to explain the unusual 

 ratios by assuming different combinations of dis- 

 tinct factors for the same character would reduce 

 the whole conception to an absurdity. 



W. W. Stockberger, 

 Corresponding Secretary 



THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



The 452d regular meeting of the society was 

 held in the hall of the Public Library, February 

 21, 1911, 8 P.M., with Mr. George E. Stetson, vice- 

 president of the society, in the chair. 



Dr. Daniel Folkmar presented a paper on ' ' Some 

 Questions Arising in the First Census of European 

 Eaces in the United States." The speaker, who 

 is chief of the section on the foreign-born in the 

 thirteenth census, and author of the ' ' Dictionary 

 of European and other Immigrant Eaces," dwelt 

 at some length on the new feature introduced ia 

 the present census, namely, of classifying the 

 foreign-born by their mother-tongue, in addition 

 to that by country or political allegiance. The 

 main part of the discourse was, however, occupied 

 with a defense of the terminology, or nomencla- 

 ture, adopted in the schedules of the census and in 



the dictionary, viz., "race" to designate the lia- 

 guistic divisions of the immigrants, and "nation- 

 ality" for the country of birth. The speaker ad- 

 mitted that in anthropology and biology the term 

 race is applied to physical traits, but maintained 

 that with the census it was not strictly a scientific 

 question but a practical one, to designate and dis- 

 tinguish given groups of peoples who come to the 

 shores of this country. "Eace" seemed to him 

 justified to designate linguistic groups, inasmuch 

 as it points out something essential, which de- 

 scends by heredity. 



The paper as well as the dictionary, which the 

 author laid before the society, were discussed at 

 some length by Drs. Hrdlieka, Michelson and 

 Hough, and by Mr. Disserond. 



I. M. Casanowicz, 



THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY 

 new YORK SECTION 



The seventh regular meeting of the session of 

 1910-11 was held at Eumford Hall in conjunction 

 with the American Electrochemical Society, on 

 April 7. Professor Ghas. BaskervUle presided. 



The chairman announced that the section would 

 be deprived of the pleasure of listening to Mrs. 

 Ellen H. Eichards at the May meeting by her 

 death, which took place a short time ago, and 

 called upon the secretary, one of her former stu- 

 dents, to speak of her life and work. The chair- 

 man further announced the death of Mr. B. G. 

 Amend, a former member of the section, and asked 

 Dr. Chas. A. Doremus to say something in this 

 connection. Following Dr. Doremus 's remarks, the 

 meeting rose in memory of the two deceased. 



The chairman spoke of the work of the Munici- 

 pal Explosives Commission and called upon Dr. C. 

 I'. McKenna to speak on ' ' Suggestions as to Public 

 Safety." The subject was further discussed by 

 Dr. Wm. Jay Schieffelin and Mr. G. W. Thompson. 



Professor Wm. H. Walker, president of the 

 American Electrochemical Society, then made his 

 presidential address entitled ' ' Chemical Eesearch 

 and Industrial Progress. ' ' 



At the conclusion of the address the chairman 

 asked President Walker to preside. Dr. Walker 

 took the chair and called upon Dr. H. E. Patten, 

 of the Bureau of SoOs, to present his paper on 

 ' ' The Eolation of Surface Tension to Electro- 

 chemical Action." 



C. M. Joyce, 

 Secretary 



