38 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCLENG 
TRANSACTIONS FOR FEBRUARY, 1905. 
I. ACADEMY SESSION. 
Los Angeles, California, Feb. 6, 1905. 
~The regular monthly meeting of the Southern California Academy 
of Sciences was held this evening in the State Normal School. President 
Dozier occupied the chair. 
A lecture of unusual interest was delivered by Prof. J. F. Cham- 
berlain of the State Normal School, his subject being ‘‘Some of the 
Social and Commercial Phases of Geography. ?? In this lecture Prof. 
Chamberlain showed clearly the new departure which has recently been 
inaugurated in the teaching of gegraphy in our schools. The lecture 
furnished material for an animated discussion at its close. 
There being no further business, the meeting soon adjourned. 
B. R. BAUMGARDT, Secretary. 
II, MEETINGS OF SECTIONS. — Bo 
1. Section of Biology. 
The meeting, held February 13, 1905, was called to order by the 
Chairman of the Section. 
Voluntary reports were offered by Profs. Ulrey and Whiting on some 
peculiarities of cell structure. 
The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved. —— ---—-— 
The lecture of the evening was delivered by Dr. Edith Claypole on 
“¢Some Aspects of Cellular Chemistry.’’ The lecture was a clear explana- 
tion of many of the most important features relating to the metabolism 
of the cell. -It- was-of such a character that a synopsis which could be 
given in this place would be wholly unsatisfactory. 
The next lecture before: this section: will be’ given by*Dr. William 
Bebb on ‘‘The Teeth of Man and Related Animals.’’ 
C. A. WHITING, Secretary. 
2. Section of Astronomy. 
On February 20, the Astronomical Section of the Academy met at 
the usual place and hour, Chairman Knight presiding. 
After some general announcements of meetings, the Chairman intro- 
duced the speaker of the evening, Dr. Theodore B. Comstock, who pro- 
ceeded to review from the standpoint of a geologist an article in 
‘‘Nature’’ relative to the investigations of the moon by Prof. W. H. 
Pickering. 
The address, which manifested much careful thought and no little 
research, presented the various theories of the earth’s formation, and 
applied the same theories to the moon, with a view of establishing a com- 
parison between the genetic conditions of earth and moon. 
The moon is the largest of the satellites, in comparison with its prin- 
cipal, being about one-eighty-first of the earth’s mass and perhaps one- 
fiftieth of its volume. 
The earth is made up of successive layers, the atmosphere, the hydro- 
sphere, the lithosphere, and the successive layers of matter of varying 
density beneath the outer lithosphere. 
This outer sphere is of an average density about. one-fourth that of 
steel. 
