SCIENCE 



[Vol. XXlll. No. 576 



when conducting five years ago the Swiss Geological 

 Society on the ground, expressed the opinion, then 

 endorsed by Professor Gutzwiller and Professor Balt- 

 zer, that the pebbles, at least in part, came, on the 

 contrary, from the south and were of Alpine origin ;■ and 

 it may be well to recall that such was also Studer's 

 opinion." It would make the case very different, in so 

 far as several of the paleo-geographical conclusions of 

 Mr. Foerste are concerned. 



INDIANA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



The ninth annual meeting of the Indiana Academy 

 of Science was held in the capitol at Indianapolis, Dec. 

 27 and 28, 1S93, under the presidency of Dr. J. C. 

 Arthur, of Purdue University. The morning of Wed- 

 nesday was devoted to a discussion of the proposed 

 biological survey of Indiana. The directors having the 

 survey in charge first presented reports of their respec- 

 tive divisions. Dr. L. M. Underwood, Division of 

 Botany; Dr. C. H. Eigenmann, Division of Zoology; 

 Prof. V. F. Marsters, Division of Palseontology. For 

 some time there has been under discussion a plan for 

 several states to cooperate in the work of such a survey; 

 This matter was taken up, and Dr. J. M. Coulter, of 

 Lake Forest, 111. , spoke for that state. Prof. R. E. Call 

 represented Kentuck}^ Several of the workers on the 

 Indiana Survey spoke on various phases of the work. 

 "Phaenerogams, " discussed by Prof. Stanley Coulter; 

 "Fishes," Dr. C. H. Eigenmann; "Plans for Successfu.1 

 Work," Dr. J. M. Coulter; "What Can the High 

 Schools Do to Help the Survey?" Prof. W. S. Blatchley. 

 "Can the Common Schools Aid?" Prof. W. W. Nor- 

 man; "Mollusks," Prof. R. E. Call; "Palseontology," 

 Prof. V. F. Marsters; "Ornithology," A. W. Butler. 

 The discussion occupied the full half-day. 



In the afternoon the Academy met in two sections, 

 one devoted to botany and zoology, the other to chem- 

 istr}', physics and mathematics. In the former the fol- 

 lowing papers were presented: "An Alphabetical and 

 Synonymical Catalogue of the Acrididae of the United 

 States," W. S. Blatchley; "On the Hibernation of Tur- 

 tles," A. W. Butler; "Some Notes on a Variety of 

 Solanum Dulcamara," R. Wes. McBride; "Indiana 

 Fishes," C. H. Eigenmann; "Review of Botanical Work 

 in Indiana with Bibliography," L. M. Underwood; 

 "Notes on an Imbedding Material," John S. Wright; 

 "Recent Notes on Indiana Birds," A. W. Butler; "The 

 Distribution of Indiana Birds," A. W. Butler; "On the 

 Occurrence of the Rarest of the Warblers (Dendroica 

 Kirtlandi) in Indiana," A. B. Ulrey; "Histology of the 

 Pontederiaceas," E. W. Olive; "Growth in Length and 

 Thickness of the Petiole of Pdchardia" Katherine E. 

 Golden; "The Geographical and Hypsometrical Distri- 

 bution of North American Viviparidas, " R. Ellsworth 

 Call; "Recent Notes on Cacti," J. M. Coulter; "The 

 Field Columbian Museum," J. M. Coulter. 



In the physico-chemical section were presented: 

 "Estimation of Organic Matter in Water by the Potas- 

 sium Permanganate Method," Thos. C. Van Nuys and 

 Sherman Davis; "i. 4. Di-amino-cyclo-hexane," W. A. 

 Noyes and H. H. Ballard; "Preliminary Note on Vari- 

 ations of Strength of Timber in Different Parts of the 

 Cross Section of the Tree," Thomas Gray; "A Method 

 of Determining Traces of Cj^anogen in Organic Mat- 

 ter," Sherman Davis; "Integration of a Linear Vec- 

 tor Diflierential Equation," A. S. Hathaway; "An 

 Autographic Method of Testing the Magnetic Qualities 

 of Iron," Thomas Gray; "A Case of Stereo-isomerism 



=See Eclogas Geologic^E Helvecise, 1888, No. III., p. 281. 



=See L. RoUier, Etude stratigraphique sur les terraine tertiaire du Jura 

 Bernols (Archives des Sc. Phys. et. Nat., Malrch, 1892). 



in the Hydrazones of Benzoin," Alexander Smith; 

 "Camphoric Acid," W. A. Noyes; "The Value of the 

 Steam Pipe within the Smoke Box of a Locomotive, as 

 a Means of Superheating," Wm. F. M. Goss; "An Ex- 

 perimental Study of the Action of the Counterbalance 

 in Locomotive Drive- Wheels, " Wm. F. M. Goss; 

 "Methods of Starch Determination," W. E. Stone and 

 D. B. Hoffman; "The Combustion Gases of the Loco- 

 motive," W. E. Stone. 



Wednesday evening the Academy met in general ses- 

 sion. The following officers were elected for the ensu- 

 ing year: President, W. A. Noyes, Terre Haute; Vice 

 President, A. W. Butler, Brookville; Secretar)?, C. A. 

 Waldo, Greencastle; Assistant Secretary, W. W. Nor- 

 man, Greencastle; Treasurer, W. P. Shannon, Greens- 

 burg-. President Arthur then addressed the Academy 

 on "The Special Senses of Plants." 



Thursday morning the early part of the session was 

 devoted to the reports of committees. A change was 

 made in the constitution of the Academy providing for 

 a body of fellows. The following papers were then 

 presented: "Should the Study of Natural Science in 

 the Lower Classes of the Public Schools be Encour- 

 aged ?" W. W. Norman; "The Detection of vStrychnine 

 in an Exhumed Human Body," W. A. Noyes; "Ab- 

 sorption of Poisons by Animal Tissue After Death," P. 

 S. Baker; "The Application of Graphical Methods to 

 the Solution of Some Problems in Electrical Engineer- 

 ing, " Harold B. Smith; "Induration of Certain Ter- 

 tiary Rocks in Northeastern Arkansas," R. Ellsworth 

 Call; "The Effect of Environment on the Mass of 

 Local Species," C. H. Eigenmann. 



At the afternoon session the following papers were 

 offered: "The White Clays of Southern Indiana," A. 

 W.Butler; "The Ash of Trees," Mason B. Thomas; 

 "Poisonous Influence of Gypripedium spectabile," D. T. 

 MacDougal; "Notes on the Biological Survey," Mason 

 B. Thomas; "Notes on Sectioning Woody Tissues," 

 John S. Wright; "The Stomates of Cycas," Mason B. 

 Thomas; "Symbiosis in Isopyrum Biternatum," D. T. 

 MacDougal; "Our Present Knowledge of the Distribu- 

 tion of Pteridophytes in Indiana," Lucien M. Under- 

 wood; "Concerning the Effect of Glycerine on Plants," 

 John S. Wright; "The Adventitious Plants of Fayette 

 County," Robert Hessler; "Bibliography of Indiana 

 Ornithology," A. W. Butler; "Bibliography of the 

 Batrachians and Reptiles of Indiana," O. P. Hay; 

 "Bibliography of Indiana Mammals," A. W. Butler and 

 B. W. Everman; "The Effect of Light on the Germin- 

 ating Spores of Marine Algae," Melvin A. Brannon; 

 "Notes on Saprolegnia," George L. Roberts; "Contri- 

 butions to the Life-tlistory of Notothvlas, " D. M. Mot- 

 tier; "Some South American Gharacinidce , with Six 

 New Species," A. B. Ulrey. 



The Academy decided to hold its next meeting in 

 May at Rochester, Indiana, where, in connection with 

 the meeting, an exploration of some of the beautiful 

 lakes in that vicinity can be undertaken. 



— Diana Clifford Kimber will soon publish a text- 

 book on "Anatomy and Physiology for Nurses," in con- 

 nection with Louise Darche. Miss Kimber's experi- 

 ence as assistant superintendent in both the New York 

 City and the Illinois Training School for Nurses has 

 led her to feel the need of such a manual and to under- 

 take the work. It is designed to fill a middle place be- 

 tween the text-book written for medical students and 

 that for use of children in schools. The subject is pre- 

 sented in a scientific manner, but the technicalities 

 which discourage the average student. have been, so far 

 as possible, avoided. 



