Fbbeuaky 2, 1900.] 



sciencj:. 



167 



little over four inches, and fifty-one inches 

 focal length. 



The method seems to be ideal, because 

 each station will use identically the same 

 reference points in the sky to determine the 

 distance from each to the zenith, and what- 

 ever errors of absolute place each star or 

 pair of stars may have, it cannot influence 

 the result, for all use the same stars. 



As they will all be reduced from the mean 

 year to date of observation with the same 

 constants, the only error that can in any 

 way influence or mask the small variation 

 of latitude is the proper motion that may 

 obtain to each star, or each pair of stars. 

 If any of the stars have large proper mo- 

 tion, the continued latitude derived from a 

 pair thus affected will be either an increas- 

 ing or decreasing latitude from that obtained 

 from other pairs. 



The completion of this plan in which 

 the stations will be kept in operation, both 

 by the German Geodetic Service, our own 

 Coast Survey and the Russian government, 

 places it upon a plane to sift to the utmost 

 the hidden truths of the problem, and 

 makes possible the determination by a long 

 series of observations, if such is possible, 

 the real value of the terms in the variation 

 of latitude, and if they can be satisfied by 

 any law of prediction as to the future move- 

 ment of the pole. 



Geo. a. Hill. 



Naval Obseevatoky, 

 Washington, D. C. 



THE AMERICAN 3I0BPH0 LOGICAL SOCIETY. 

 The American Morphological Society held 

 its tenth annual meeting at New Haven, 

 Conn., December 27 and 28, 1899. Among 

 the items of business transacted may be 

 noted the election of Dr. H. L. Bruaer, Dr. 

 G. a. Drew, Dr. C. R. Eastman, Dr. C. H. 

 Eigenmann, Dr. J. Y. Graham, Dr. J. B. 

 Johnston, Dr. F. C. Waite and Miss L. B. 

 Wallace to membership in the Society ; 

 and the election of the following officers 



for the year 1900 : President, T. H. Morgan ; 

 Vice-Preddent, ET. C. Biimpus ; Secretary- 

 Treasurer, J. S. BLingsley ; Members of Execu- 

 tive Committee, F. R. Lillie, Jacob Reighard. 



Tlie following are abstracts of the papers 

 read before the Society : 



The homologies of the ear bones: J. S. Kingsley. 

 The chief points in the paper are the 

 recognition of a distinct skeletal element 

 between hyoid and mandibular arches 

 which in the reptiles forms the extra- 

 columella and in the mammals the manu- 

 brial portion of the malleus. In this ele- 

 ment was recognized the branchial arch of 

 a segment which has been pointed out in 

 this region from the evidence of somites, 

 neuromeres, cranial nerves, etc. The author 

 maintained the identity of quadrate with 

 incus, articular with the body (caput) of 

 malleus and claimed that no matter what 

 view one took of the homologies of the 

 ossicles of the middle ear, they were forced 

 to admit that the articulation of the lower 

 jaw in the mammals was not homologous 

 with the articulation of the mandible in 

 the lower vertebrates. It was pointed out 

 that the evidence for a reptilian ancestry 

 of the mammals did not stand analysis, and 

 that the origin of the group must be sought 

 in primitive stegocephals. 



The foramina of the scapula: J. 8. Kingsley. 

 In embryo pigs 18 to 60 mm. long, the 

 dorsal crest of the scapula presents four for- 

 aminathrough which pass dorsal nerves, aris- 

 ing from the second to fifth thoracic ganglia, 

 and passing directly to the skin. These 

 were regarded as possibly indicating that 

 the scapula was made up of metameric parts, 

 and it was pointed out that these results 

 were in full accord with the recent studies 

 of Bolk upon the muscles of the shoulder 

 girdle. They might be interpreted as ad- 

 verse to Gegenbaur's views as to the origin 

 of the girdles. 



