OCTOBER 8, 1897. ] 
mental evidence of the existence in yeast of 
an alcohol-producing enzyme. Professor 
A. B. Macallum (Toronto) presented cer- 
tain new views on the significance of intra- 
cellular structures and organs. According 
to him the centrosphere is the oldest part 
of the cell. The nucleus and the cytoplasm 
are secondary structures. This explains 
the fact that in cell-division the division of 
the centrosome precedes that of the rest of 
the cell. These views were opposed by Mr. 
H. Wager (Leeds), who gave strong evi- 
dence for the presence of a nucleus in the 
yeast-cell, and by Professor J. B. Farmer 
(London). 
The final session was held on Wednesday 
forenoon and was devoted to psychological 
and miscellaneous papers. Professor W. 
D. Halliburton (London), on behalf of 
himself and Dr. Mott, discussed the action 
of cholin, neurin and allied substances on 
the circulation, in connection with the dis- 
covery by them, in the cerebro-spinal fluid 
in certain forms of insanity, of a substance 
which appears identical with cholin and 
depresses blood-pressure by acting upon the 
heart. Professor R. Boyce (Liverpool), on 
behalf of himself and Professor W. A. 
Herdman (Liverpool), discussed the pres- 
ence of copper in animal cells. Papers 
were read by Dr. T. W. G. McKay on in- 
testinal absorption of hemoglobin and fer- 
ratin, by Mr. R. R. Bensley (Toronto) on 
the morphology and physiology of gastric 
cells, and by Mr. O. F. F. Grinbaum (Cam- 
bridge) on visual reaction to intermittent 
stimulation. Professor Wesley Mills (Mc- 
Gill) discussed the functional development 
of the cerebral cortex in different groups of 
animals (see Screncn, Vol. V., p. 1384), and 
the psychic development of young animals. 
In the latter paper he presented the results 
of a correlation of the psychic development 
of the dog, cat, rabbit, guinea-pig, rat, and 
bird with the development of the cortical 
centers. Professor C. Lloyd Morgan (Bris- 
SCIENCE. 
503 
tol) read a suggestive paper on the physi- 
ology of instinct. The essential part of the 
objective aspect of instinctive activity is 
the coordination. of outgoing impulses. 
This activity is at first unconscious, but 
later, by the coming in of afferent impulses, 
consciousness may appear. Professor L. 
Witmer (Pennsylvania) discussed the na- 
ture and physical basis of pain. Pain isa 
sensation, the central organ of which con- 
sists of the sensori-motor centers; no spe- 
cial pain nerves exist. 
On account of the full program compara- 
tively little general discussion of the papers 
was possible, and this constituted the one 
drawback of the meeting. The sectional 
committee, the membership of which has 
already been printed in Scimncu, p. 335, 
held daily sessions, and the usual grants 
for research were asked for. 
FREDERIC §. LEE. 
CoLUMBIA UNIVERSITY. 
THE PATAGONIAN EXPEDITION FROM 
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY. 
Tuis expedition, dispatched to Patagonia 
from Princeton University in February, 
1896, returned during August. It was un- 
der the auspices of Professor W. B. Scott, 
of the Department of Geology, and had for 
its object the collecting of vertebrate fossils 
from the Tertiary deposits, and the skins 
and skeletons of recent birds and mam- 
mals. It was directly in charge of Mr. J. 
B. Hatcher and his assistant, Mr. O. A. 
Peterson. 
The objective point was the Port of Gal- 
legos, on the east coast of southern Pata- 
gonia, which was reached April 29, 1896. 
From this point investigations were con- 
ducted, first along the coast from Sandy 
Point, in the Straits of Magellan, to Port 
Desire, on the north. In this region many 
interesting fossil forms were secured and a 
nearly complete series of living birds, mam- 
mals and plants. After spending several 
