. Royal Society of Canrcla. 37 



favored, in the Sonierville Course, last spring-, on 

 " Wireless Telegraphy," with experiments. 



Section III.— Mathematical, Physical and Chemical 



Sciences. 



1. — " The Need for a Hydrographic Survey Department 

 for Canada " (Present state of the question.) By 

 Professor Alexander Johnson, LL.D. 

 2. — " The Synchronism of Terrestrial Magnetic Disturb- 

 ances and Unusual Excitation in the Trails of 

 Comets." By Arthur Harvey, President of the 

 Astronomical and Physical Society of Toronto. 

 The author communicated his discovery that the sudden 

 increase occasionally observed in the brightness of comets, 

 sometimes accompanied by changes in the form of their 

 tails, and by their apparent disintegration, are synchronisms 

 with terrestrial magnetic disturbances. He considers this 

 to furnish proof that the cause of these phenomena is 

 electrical, has its origin in the sun, and is probably 

 related to auroral displays. 



3. — " Illustrations of Remarkable Secondary Tidal Un- 

 dulations on January 1st, 1899." (From Recording 

 Tide Gauges in the region of Nova Scotia.) (With 

 2 plates.) By W. Bell Dawson, M. A.., Ma.E., Asst. 

 M. Inst. C.E. 

 4.—" La Vie, I'Evolution le Materialisms" By C. 



Baillarge, M.A., C.E. 

 5. — " An Investigation of the Physiology of the Brain of 

 the Bird." By Professor T. Wesley Mills, of McGill 

 University. 

 This is a preliminary communication, based on experi- 

 mental investigation of the brain of the Pigeon, now in 

 progress, and is in part a continuation of work already 

 reported to the Society, and in part a research in a new 

 field of brain physiology, involving the application of 

 a variety of methods of investigation. 



