SEPTEMBER 24, 1897. ] 
undiscovered gas,’ and narrated a search 
for an element with the atomic weight of 20, 
lying in the periodic system between helium 
and argon. Many ‘triads’ are found in the 
periodic system, with a difference in atomic 
weight of about 36 between the extremes, 
viz.: fluorin, chlorin, manganese, 19-55 ; 
oxygen, sulfur, chromium, 16-52; nitro- 
gen, phosphorus, vanadium, 14—51.4, ete. 
If argon has an atomic weight of 40 and 
helium of 4 there might be expected a triad 
here, with a middle element of atomic 
weight about 20. Professor Ramsay and 
his assistant, Mr. Travers, made a diligent 
search for this element, which would, like 
argon and helium, probably be an indif- 
ferent gas. The gases from various min- 
erals and mineral springs were carefully 
examined in vain. Helium was then frac- 
tioned by diffusion through porous plates. 
After 180 diffusions two fractions were ob- 
tained, the larger portion having a constant 
density of 1.98, that is pure helium, while 
the smaller portion had a variable density, 
and was finally proved to be helium with a 
small portion of argon. This search also 
proved fruitless. The non-existence of the 
gas is, however, not proven; helium itself in 
fergusonite, one of the minerals which 
yields it in reasonable quantity, is present 
only to the extent of 33 parts in 100,000, 
and if the new gas, as is by no means im- 
probable, occurs far less abundantly than 
helium it will be a work of extreme diffi- 
eulty to separate it from helium or argon. 
In the last Chemical News, G. G. Boucher 
describes a possible new element in cast- 
iron. He has found it to the extent of a 
few thousandths per cent. in the residues 
left after dissolving iron in sulfuric acid. 
The metal seems to possess some of the re- 
actions of tungsten and of antimony, but 
has not yet been identified with any known 
element. 
J.L. H. 
SCIENCE. 
479 
SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. 
MEETING OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE MARINE 
BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. 
A MEETING of the Trustees was held at 
Woods Holl, Mass., upon Friday, September 
10th. Thirteen members of the Board were 
present, including the Director, Professor Whit- 
man ; Professor Clarke, of Williams; Professor 
Macfarlane, of Pennsylvania; Professor Osborn, 
of Columbia; Mr. E. G. Gardiner, of Boston ; 
Professor Bumpus, of Brown ; Professor Penhal- 
low, of McGill; Professor Metcalf, of Baltimore ; 
Professor Patten, of Dartmouth; Professor Conk- 
lin, of Pennsylvania; Professor Morgan, of Bryn 
Mawr; Professor Peck, of Williams; and Mr. 
C..G. Kidder, of New York. The first business 
was the election of a President in place of Profes- 
sor Farlow, of Harvard, resigned, and Professor 
Osborn, of Columbia, was chosen by ballot. 
Mr. D. Blakeley Hoar, of Boston, was elected 
Treasurer in place of Mr. Laurence Minot, re- 
signed, and a resolution was passed gratefully 
acknowledging Mr. Minot’s long and generous 
services to the Laboratory during the past four 
years. Professor Bumpus, clerk of the corpo- 
ration, was elected Secretary. According to 
the new By-Laws, the business of the Trustees 
will be largely transacted by an Executive 
Committee, which consists of the principal of- 
ficers of the Association and three members at 
large. This Committee was constituted for the 
coming year as follows: at large, Messrs. Gar- 
diner, Peck and Kidder; and ex officio, Messrs. 
Osborn, Whitman,, Bumpus and Hoar. The 
powers of the Executive Committee were care- 
fully defined and limited, and this Committee 
was instructed to keep formal record of all its 
business and report to the Trustees at each 
meeting. A very full report of the financial 
condition of the Laboratory was received from 
the retiring Treasurer, Mr. Laurence Minot, 
and presented, with an analysis of the receipts 
and expenditures of the last season, by Mr. 
Kidder. It was shown that the Laboratory is 
practically self-supporting, but that the inter- 
est and other general charges cause an annual 
deficiency, which must be met by special sub- 
scription. The report of the Director was de- 
ferred until the next meeting of the Board. 
Two important Committees were chosen, 
