744 
spring. It is but feebly subject to the influence 
of altitude. So sensitive is it to the presence 
of oxidizable substances in the air that daily 
and local variations must be due to the existence 
in the atmosphere of ‘actinic clouds’ other- 
wise undiscoyerable. In northern latitudes the 
atmosphere is less absorbent of actinic rays and 
hence that kind of radiation is more active rela- 
tively than in lower latitudes. The actinic 
effect of the sun increases more rapidly than 
the duration of its presence above the horizon ; 
as a result, the effect produced during the long 
days of the northern summer is proportionally 
very great. The actinic effect may continue 
after the luminous effect of the sun’s radiation 
has become clouded; thus the effect of a fine 
morning is not lost by a dark and cloudy even- 
ing. The duration of the day and the solar 
effect as usually measured are of little value 
for calculating the true actinic effect of sun- 
light. The paper as a whole is of unusual in- 
terest. 
W. W. R. 
SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 
KANSAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 
THe thirteenth annual meeting of the 
Academy was held at Baker University on Oc- 
tober 27th, 28th and 29th, under the presidency 
of Professor 8. W. Williston. 
The scientific program was as follows: 
The migrations of birds..............0:0s0ee0e0 J. R. Mead 
A list of the Goss Ornithological Collection, being 
the report of the Board of Curators....D. E. Lantz 
A Bibliography of Kansas ornithology, with an 
historical list of Kansas Birds...........D. E. Lantz 
A list of the birds taken in Mexico and Central 
America by the late Colonel N. 8S. Goss, with 
notes of localities...............-....02+-++ D. E. Lantz 
An historical list of Kansas mammals.......D. E. Lantz 
The injurious insects of the year in Kansas......... 
S. J. Hunter 
Kansas Lachnosterna.............---.++------ Warren Knaus 
Entomological collecting notes........... Warren Knaus 
Observations on the elm-twig girdler................. 
Perey J. Parrott 
The natural history possibilities of Belvidere, 
(Ransagiee state. sie este etomesteniees ss C. N. Gould 
An inexpensive dissecting-stand for microscopical 
GiISSeCHlONS Keser tees scene -esesentesccness S. J. Hunter 
Biological notes ...§. J. Hunter 
A floral horologue for Kamnsas............... B. B. Smyth 
SCIENCE. 
[N. S. Von. VI. No. 150. 
Root tubercles and their production by inocula- 
Therapeutical notes on some Kansas plants......... 
L. E. Sayre 
Notes on Kansas plants................+++ A. §. Hitchcock 
Bibliography of literature relating to wind effects 
OMBULCES eee ees eee ec ceecreacceeeee J. B.S. Norton 
On the finding of insects in the Comanche Creta- 
Ceous Of Kamsas............02.2.sseceseeeees C. N. Gould 
Fusulina cylindrica shell structure........Alva J. Smith. 
Range and distribution of the Mosasauria........... 
S. W. Williston 
A new Labyrinthodont from the Kansas Carbon- 
THEE OWEL coponsoondsascnsadoecanDDSecooucad S. W. Williston 
Geological notes on Trego County and vicinity 
J. W. Beede: 
A preliminary report on the geology of the Dela- 
ware Valley in Atchison County.....J. W. Wilson 
New developments in the Mentor beds...C. N. Gould 
Extremes and means of Kansas climate....F. H. Snow 
Viscosity of the ether................... A. St. C. Dunstan 
Alternating currents in a Wheatstone bridge 
where branches contain resistance and capac- 
THUS oSogondEsoodapoosdooDbNCGaDDb0cNonNI000 Martin E. Rice: 
Equilibrium of forces in a flim originally spher- 
ical, grounded in the presence of an external 
electri cach ane crencnecsetseteesentsaseeaeates L. I. Blake 
Some problems of marine telephony without 
WATOSL sc joascdh cacesoeteauancesseseeseesesece tee L. I. Blake- 
The dehydration of gypsite............... E. H.S. Bailey 
Some new mineral waters................. E. H. S. Bailey 
Decomposition of some diazo compounds with 
methyl alcohol................2.......008 Geo. F. Weida 
On the generation of finite transformations from 
infinitesmal transformations..........H. B. Newson: 
Additional notes on the timbered mounds of the 
Kaw Reservation...............:s0seesenee C. N. Gould. 
Relativity in Science..............-..s..esseeeeee E. B. Knerr 
The subject of the President’s address was. 
‘Science and Education.’ 
NEW BOOKS. 
Allgemeine Erdkunde. I, HANN, ED. BRUCKNER. 
and A. KircHorr. II. part, fifth edition. 
Prag, Wien and Leipzig, F. Tempsky. 1898. 
Pp. xii+368. M. 8. 
Das kleine botanische Practicum fiir Anfdanger. 
EDWARD STRASBURGER. Third edition. 
Jena, Gustay Fischer. 1897. Pp. viii+246. 
M. 6. 
Nature Study in Elementary Schools. Mrs. L. 
L. Witson. New York and London, The: 
Macmillan Co. 1897. Pp. xix+262. 
