744 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVII. No. 436. 



graph Tests : Principles and Facts Eelating to 

 the Distribution of the Strains in the Base 

 of Eails under Moving Trains.' This paper 

 is published above. 



S. A. Mitchell, 



Secretary. 



exhibited specimens of leather tanned in 

 various ways. The address was followed by 

 a general discussion of the subject by mem- 

 bers interested in the tanning industry. 

 Arthur M. Comey, 



Secretary. 



COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY GEOLOGICAL JOURNAL CLUB. 



March 27. — Professor Grabau reviewed a 

 paper by P. Noetling on ' Beitrage zur mor- 

 phologie der Pelecypoden' {Neues Jahriuch, 

 1902). Mr. C. W. Dickson reviewed the 

 Quebec Group, especially in reference to its 

 history and correlation. 



April S. — Professor Kemp reviewed several 

 late papers from the Transactions of the 

 American Institute of Mining Engineers. 



April 17. — Professor Kemp exhibited and 

 made a few remarks on the late folios of the 

 U. S. Geological Survey. He also gave a 

 short summary of ' The Two Islands,' an in- 

 teresting book by Professor Thomas Condon, 

 professor, in geology in the University of 

 Oregon. Professor Condon discussed in a 

 semi-popular manner the geological history of 

 these Archean islands, the one in the south- 

 .east and the other in the northwest part of 

 Oregon. Dr. G. I. Finlay reviewed a paper 

 by W. M. Davis on the 'River Terraces in 

 New England ' (Bull, of Mus. of Comp. ZooL, 

 Vol. 38). Mr. C. W. Dickson reviewed sev- 

 eral late papers from the American Institute 

 of Mining Engineers. H. "W. Shimer. 



AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. 

 NORTHEASTERN SECTION. 



The forty-fourth regular meeting of the 

 section was held at the rooms of the Technol- 

 ogy Club, Boston, Friday, April 24, at 8 p.m. 

 President A. H. Gill in the chair. Seventy- 

 five members were present. 



Mr. George W. Priest addressed the section 

 on ' The Manufacture of Chrome Leather,' 

 describing the usual method of preparing the 

 raw hide for tanning, and the two methods 

 used for chrome tanning, known as the one- 

 bath and two-bath processes. The lecturer 

 also described the new process for making 

 patent leather from chrome-tanned skins, and 



PSYCHOLOGICAL CLUB OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY. 



The following papers have been read dur- 

 ing the session of 1903 : 



Me. B. L. Andrews : ' Tests of Audition : Clin- 

 ical, Anthropometrical, Psychophysical.' 



De. J. W. Baied : ' The Influence of Convergence 

 and Accommodation upon the Perception of the 

 Third Dimension.' 



Peofessoe I. M. Bentlet : ' Clearness as an 

 Attribute of Sensation'; 'Experimental Esthetics.' 



Db. L. P. Boggs: 'Mental Elements and Men- 

 tal Units.' 



De. M. E. Schallenbeegee : ' Mind in the First 

 Week of Infancy.' ' 



Mb. H. C. Stevens : ' The Physiological Factors 

 in the Normal Plethysmogram.' 



Peofessoe Titchenbe : ' The Method of Minimal 

 Changes'; 'The Law of Error'; 'The Method of 

 Average Error ' ; ' The Method of Right and 

 Wrong Cases.' 



DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE. 



WALBAUM AND BINOMIALISM. 



Mr. Henry W. Powler, in Science for 

 April 10, 1903 (p. 595), has expressed the 

 opinion that ' Walbaum is non-binomial.' 

 This assertion involves the names of many of 

 our most common fishes and would necessitate 

 numerous changes in nomenclature if true. 

 Therefore, a restatement of facts in question 

 appears to be called for. In fact, Walbaum 

 is as binomial as LinnKUS, if not more so. 



Linnseus himself did not regard what is 

 now called binomial nomenclature of much 

 importance; indeed, he considered it to be 

 simply a device for temporary purposes or for 

 the facilitation of tabulation. What he did 

 take pride in and credit for was the use of the 

 specific name (' nomen specificum'), but this 

 so-called name was not binomial, but of the 

 nature of a diagnosis; really it was a diag- 

 nosis, as he claims : ' Nomen specificum est 

 itaque difFerentia essentialis.' This was his 

 boast : ' Primus incepi nomina speeifica es- 



