EDITORIAL NOTES. 
257 
the regret will be, not that time is lost in their study, but that the hard conditions 
of life unfortunately permit so few to become the masters of the treasure. — N. Y. 
World. 
EDITORIAL NOTES. 
The thirty-second meeting of the American 
Association for the Advancement of Science 
will be held at Minneapolis, Minnesota, from 
the 15th to the 2ist of this month. The 
officers this year are Prof. C. A. Young, 
President ; F. W. Putnam, Permanent Secre- 
tary ; J. K. Eastman, General Secretary, and 
William Lilly, Treasurer. The chairmen of 
the nine sections of Mathematics and Astro- 
nomy, Physics, Chemistry, Mechanical Sci- 
ence, Geology and Geography, Biology, His- 
tology and Microscopy, Anthropology, and 
Economic Science and Statistics are the Vice- 
Presidents of the Association. 
The headquarters will be at the State Uni- 
versity. The citizens of Minneapolis have 
made liberal arrangements for the accommo- 
dation and entertainment of all who attend, 
and the railroads have made low rates in all 
directions, in addition to giving excursions to 
Minnetonka and Winnepeg at less than half 
fare. Without doubt the meeting will be an 
enjoyable one in every respect. 
The Kansas City Academy of Science has 
recently received from Thos. J. Wilson, Esq., 
a box of beautiful specimens of the fossil 
wood from the petrified forests of Arizona ; 
also a box of valuable fossils from Mrs. Todd, 
of Fort Worth, Texas. 
The Curator of the Academy, Mr. Sidney 
J. Hare, is now on a surveying expedition in 
Southwestern Kansas and may be relied upon 
for liberal contributions to its Museum. Dr. 
R. Wood Brown is performing the duties of 
Recording Secretary and acting Curator. 
The rain and wind-storms of Jane, 1883, 
will long be remembered as being abnormally 
universal, frequent and severe. In this local- 
ity the precipitation was extraordinary, rain 
having fallen upon thirteen days up to the 
27th. The Missouri River on the 27th had 
risen to twenty-four feet six inches above 
low water mark, or within two feet eight 
inches of the highest point reached in 1881. 
The mountain freshets are reported on their 
way down. 
Prof. F. W. Clarke, for many years chem- 
ist of the Cincinnati University, has received 
the appointment of chemist to the U. S, Geo- 
logical Survey, and has removed to Wash- 
ton City. He has contributed several arti- 
cles to the Review within the past few years 
and in a recent letter says: "I owe you my 
sincere thanks for the Review and if I can 
at any time help you with items I will do 
so." 
Rev. H. C. McCook, of Philadelphia, re- 
cently delivered a lecture upon "Tbe Homes 
and Habits of Ants " before the Detroit 
Scientific Association and Griffith Microscop- 
ical Club, in which he gave some very graphic 
and interesting details, paying many high 
compliments to the ant for industry, intelli- 
gence, cleanliness, engineering skill, and va- 
rious domestic virtues ; among which the re- 
porter selected the following: " Before mar- 
riage the female ant has wings, which are 
merely ornamental, and on becoming a mat- 
ron she tears off these ornamental wings with 
her mandibles, and plunges into the ground, 
where she devotes her life to sober domestic 
duties, for which such gaudy attire would 
not have been suitable. All the work and 
all the fighting is done by the females and 
neuters. The males have no mandibles with 
which to work or fight, and so don't amount 
to much." 
