158 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XI. No. 265. 



country met, as previously announced in this 

 Journal, for the purpose of forming a society of 

 bacteriologists. As a result of the meeting 

 there was organized a society which is the first 

 in the country, and probably the first in the 

 world, organized for the distinct purpose of 

 studying and discussing bacteriological prob- 

 lems. The society will in general meet with 

 the American Naturalists. The opening meet- 

 ing was very auspicious, there being over thirty 

 in attendance. The persons joining in the or- 

 ganization of the society included bacteriologists 

 whose lines of study cover a wide range of 

 subjects. Among them were those devoted to 

 the study of pathology ; others studying hy- 

 giene. Others again are engaged in the inves- 

 tigation of agricultural topics and yet others 

 interested in the industrial problems of bacteri- 

 ology. Some papers were also presented upon 

 purely biological aspects of bacteria. The wide 

 range of branches represented indicates the ex- 

 tent to which bacteriology has extended in 

 the short years of its existence as a branch of 

 science, and plainly points out the need of 

 some organization to centralize the work and 

 bring to a common point information of mutual 

 interest. 



In addition to the work of organization a 

 program of papers was presented. A more 

 complete account of these papers will appear in 

 a later issue of this Journal. 



The society elected the following officers for 

 the coming year : 



Presideni, Professor W. T. Sedgwick, Mass. Insti- 

 stitute of Teohnology ; Vice-President, Professor A. 

 C. Abbott, University of Pennsylvania ; Secretary 

 and Treasurer, Professor H. W. Conn, Wesleyan Uni- 

 versity ; Council, Professor Theobald Smith, Professor 

 Harold Ernst, Professor E. O. Jordan and Dr. E. A. 

 deSchweinitz. 



Bacteriologists desiring information concern- 

 ing the society may apply to the secretary. Pro- 

 fessor H. W, Conn, Middletown, Connecticut. 



WASHINGTON ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



The by-laws of the Academj' were modified 

 in Blay of last year by providing for a class of 

 non-resident members. A committee represent- 

 ing each branch of science was appointed to 

 consider the elegibility of men of science 

 throughout the country for non-resident mem- 



bership, and about one hundred members of 

 this class have been elected. It is intended 

 that the Washington Academy of Sciences shall 

 become national in character, in so far as this 

 does not conflict with the field of the National 

 Academy of Sciences, and the American Asso- 

 ciation for the Advancement of Science. In 

 view of the large number of men of science 

 engaged in the work of the scientific bureaus 

 of the Government and the frequent meetings of 

 scientific societies at Washington, the City has 

 especial claims to be regarded as the chief sci- 

 entific center of America, and arrangements are 

 contemplated for an annual scientific meeting 

 under the auspices of the Washington Academy, 

 which will be practically a congress of all the 

 scientific men of the country. 



At its annual meeting held January 17th, the 

 Academy elected the following officers : 



President, Hon. Chas. D. Walcott ; Vice-Presidents, 

 from the Anthropological Soeiety, "W J MoGee ; 

 from the Biological Society, F. V. Coville ; from the 

 Chemical Soeiety, Dr. H. N. Stokes ; from the Colum- 

 bia Historical Society, Hon. John A. Kasson ; from 

 the Entomological Society, Dr. Theo. N. Gill ; from 

 the Geological Society, G. K. Gilbert ; from the 

 Medical Society, Dr. S. C. Bnsey ; from the National 

 Geographic Society, Alexander Graham Bell ; from 

 the Philosophical Society, Dr. Geo. M. Sternberg ; 

 Secretary, Dr. Frank Baker ; Treasurer, Bernard E. 

 Green ; Managers, Class of 1903, F. W. Clarke, Dr. 

 C. Hart Merriam, Whitman Cross. 



GENERAL. 



The Geological Society of Great Britain will 

 this year award its medals and funds as follows : 

 The WoUaston Medal to Dr. G. K. Gilbert, of 

 Washington ; the Murchison Medal to Baron A. 

 E. Nordenskiold, of Stockholm ; the Lyell 

 Medal to Dr. J. E. Marr, of Cambridge ; the 

 Wollaston Fund to Mr. G. T. Prior ; the Mur- 

 chison Fund to Mr. A. Vaughan Jennings ; the 

 Lyell Fund to Miss G. L. Elles ; and the Bar- 

 low-Jameson Fund to Mr. G. C. Crick and Pro- 

 fessor T. T. Groom. 



Mr. Percival Lowell of Boston, and Pro- 

 fessor D. P. Todd of Amherst College, sailed 

 for Europe on January 17th, and will proceed 

 to North Africa to arrange for observations on 

 the total eclipse of the sun occurring on May 

 28th. Mr. Lowell's telescope and camera are 



