January 13, 1893.] 



SCIENCE. 



19 



Professor Nutting's " Report as Chairman of the Committee on 

 State Fauna" contained a number of additions to the known 

 fauna of the State and notes on varied faunal relations among a 

 number of species heretofore recognized. The additions, which 

 embrace only Vertebrates, include two mammals, nineteen birds, 

 five reptiles, one batrachian, and five fishes. 



The " Significance of the Concealed Crests of the Tyrannidae " 

 v^as the title of another paper by the same author and discussed 

 very elaborately the origin and use of the bright colored crests 

 of diflferent members of the Flycatcher family. Considerable 

 evidence was produced to show that they assist the birds in secur- 

 ing food by alluring insects within easy reach. 



Professor L. H. Pammel presented papers on " Phsenological 

 Notes for 1892," "Relation of Frost to Certain Plants," "Notes 

 on the Flora of Arkansas and Texas," and " Pollination of Cucur- 

 bits." 



The second paper contained records of numerous observations 

 on temperatures and effect on different kinds of vegetation. The 

 third contained notes collected by the author during two trips in 

 the region mentioned, and the thii-d, which was accompanied by 

 a number of very fine drawings illustrating the anatomy of the 

 flowers of cucurbits, a number of observations with regard to 

 the pollination of these plants. 



Mr. F. C. Stewart presented a paper on "Palisade Cells and 

 Stomata of Leaves," giving record of numerous examinations of 

 leaves of various plants, and especially of different varieties of 

 apple and presenting the conclusion that these factors have little 

 relation to the resistance of the plants to climatic conditions. Mr. 

 Stewart also presented a "Key to the Identification of Weed 

 Seeds." 



Mr. H. A. Gossard presented "A List of Insects that have been 

 taken in Clover, in Iowa," with observations on a number of 

 the different species. It includes a large proportion of the 

 species that hive been accredited to this plant heretofere and 

 a number of species not hitherto accredited with feeding upon 

 it. 



Dr. W. B. Niles presented "Preliminary Observations on a 

 Cattle Disease of Frequent Occurrence in Some Parts of Iowa." 

 In this paper the symptoms of the disease were described, and a 

 statement of efforts to secure cultures of organisms occurring in 

 the diseased animals. Inoculations direct from diseased animals 

 had produced similar symptoms and disease, but inoculations with 

 pure cultures of any of the organisms isolated had so far given 

 negative results. 



Mr. F. Reppert presented some " Notes on the Flora of Musca- 

 tine," containing record of some plants which appear to be quite 

 out of their normal range. He described the peculiar conditions 

 of the locality where most of these exceptional plants have 

 occurred and suggested that such plants had probably been 

 introduced" there by the agency of such birds as ducks or 

 geese. 



Mr. F. W. Mally presented a " List of the Tenthredinidae of 

 Iowa," preliminary to a more exhaustive study of this group in 

 the State. 



Professor Herbert Osborn and F. A. Sirrine in " Notes on 

 Aphididse '" presented a list of about forty species that had not 

 hitherto been recognized in the State and notes of the habits of a 

 number of species, also a description of a new species. 



Professor Osborn also read a paper "On the Life Histories of 

 Certain Jassidae," giving in detail the life histories of Deltoceph- 

 alus inimicus, Deltocephalus debilis, and some others, and men- 

 tioned their relation to economic treatment of these species. 



He also presented some notes on the "Catalogue of Iowa 

 Hemiptera," making some additions and corrections to preceding 

 lists. 



His talk on a collecting trip to southern Mexico contained ob- 

 servations on various points visited as far south as Isthmus of 

 Tehuantepec and references to the native people and animals ob- 

 served. The talk was illustrated with lantern views of scenery 

 in the localities visited and views showing costumes of the na- 

 tives, animals of the region, etc. 



The Proceedings of the Academy are now published by the 

 State, a bill for that purpose having passed the last Legislature, 



and the^papers presented at this meeting will be printed as soon 



The officers for the current year are; President, L. II. Pam- 

 mel, Ames ; first vice-president, C. O. Bates, Cedar Rapids; sec- 

 ond vice-president, A. A Veblen, Iowa City; secretary-treasurer, 

 Herbert Osborn, Ames; Executive Committee, the officers and S, 

 Calvin, Iowa City ; F. M. Witter, Muscatine, and H. W. Norris, 

 Grinnell. 



UNUSUAL ABUNDANCE OF THE GROSBEAK IN EASTERN 



MASS.\CHUSETTS. 



BY J H. BOWLES, PONKAPOAG, MASS. 



Although considerable of a rambler, I h^ve never until this 

 year noticed the Pine Grosbeak {Pinicoki canadensis) in this 

 vicinity. The unusually cold weather that we have had this win- 

 ter seems to have thoroughly disturbed them in their northern 

 homes, as. for the last two weeks, they have been around here in 

 great numbers. The first that I noticed was a flock of six, on 

 Dec. 19, which were feeding on cone-seeds in the top of a hem- 

 lock tree. Since then I have noticed flocks, almost every day, 

 ranging in numbers from three to seventeen, although small 

 flocks of six or eight are most commonly seen. Only a very few 

 were in the full red plumage, most of them showing it on the head 

 and rump only. Their flight is exceedingly graceful, consisting 

 of dips toward the ground, in the manner of a woodpecker, only 

 not so much exaggerated, in which they utter from time to time 

 a short, mellow whistle. They are seen principally feeding on 

 the buds of maple, walnut, ash, and evergreen trees, and seem to 

 be always hungry, which, I think, in a measure accounts for their 

 extreme tameness, as they will allow a person to apjaroach within 

 a few feet of them without taking any notice. When feeding in 

 the road, which they sometimes do, they will allow a team to 

 come almost on top of them before flying to the side of the road, 

 only to come back again as soon as the team has passed. I cannot 

 help mentioning here that the trait of coming one winter and 

 being absent the next is very common with some birds. The 

 Snow Bunting (Plecirophanes nivalis), for instance, although 

 seen in large numbers last winter, has not made its appearance 

 once this year as far as I have heard. Certainly it is not so 

 plentiful, as last winter I saw a large number of flocks of from 

 six to fifty and one flock of about one hundred and fifty. The 

 red-bellied Nuthatch {Sitia Canadensis) and the Yellow Red-Pol! 

 Warbler (Dendroica palmanim) also, which were very common 

 several winters ago, have been completely missing since that 

 time. 



NOTES AND NEWS. 



FoUE courses of lectures are being given by the Department of 

 Biology of Columbia College, in Room 11, Library Building, on 

 successive Thursday evenings, at eight o'clock, beginning Nov. 

 10, 1892. They are designed for those who desire to keep abreast 

 of the later advances in biology without entering any of the 

 technical courses. A limited number of tickets for the entire 

 course will be issued to persons not students on payment of a 

 small fee. Application should be made to the Secretary of the 

 President, Columbia College. The course on the History of the 

 Theory of Evolution, by Henry ¥. Osborn, Sc.D., Da Costa pro- 

 fessor of biology, was finished Dec. 15. A course on The Cellular 

 Basis of Heredity and Development, by Edmund B. Wilson, Ph.D., 

 adjunct professor of biology, beginning Thursday, Jan. 13, will 

 consist of : Introduction : Cellular Basis of the Living Body. The 

 Germ-Cells : Sex and Fertilization. Cell Genesis and Division. 

 Egg and Spermatozoon : The Preparation for Development. Physi- 

 ology of the Individual Cell. Inter-Cellular Dynamics: Theories 

 of Heredity. This course will be of the greatest interest, as the 

 progress during the last two years in our knowledge of the cell 

 is simply marvellous. Courses will follow on The Origin and 

 Evolution of the Fishes, by Bashford Dean, Ph.D., instructor in 

 Biology, and Amphioxus and Other Ancestors of the Vertebrates, 

 by Arthur Willey, B.Sc, tutor in Biology. 



