RECORDS OF MEETINGS OF 1909 
309 
of three variables: ancestors, heat and moisture. Increased heat and 
moisture is accompanied not only by an increased percentage of the long- 
winged dimorphs but by a greater wing length of the short-winged group. 
No relation has been discovered between the size of the posterior femora 
and the environment. These conditions bring about marked differences 
between the crickets in different habitats, and these differences are of “speci¬ 
fic” rank. 
Dr. Smith said, in abstract: Food itself is deleterious if ingested in 
sufficient quantity. This is not an essential quality of food but one de¬ 
pendent on the quantitative relation. Any ingredient added to food is 
deleterious in the quantitative sense precisely as food itself is. The state¬ 
ment of the Food and Drugs Act, June 30th, 1906, “an article shall be deemed 
to be adulterated, in the case of food, if it contain any added poisonous or 
other added deleterious ingredient which may render such article injurious 
to health” is to be interpreted as referring to ingredients that are essentially 
deleterious. Substances that serve a useful purpose in amount widely 
separated from the quantity that may produce injurious effects are not 
essentially deleterious, even though they may become deleterious by abuse of 
the quantitative relation. 
The Section then adjourned. 
Frank M. Chapman, 
Secretary pro tern. 
SECTION OF ASTRONOMY, PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY. 
May 17, 1909. 
Section met in conjunction with the Physics Club of New York at 8:15 
p. M., Vice-President Idering presiding. 
The minutes of the last meeting of the Section were read and approved. 
The following programme was then offered: 
Demonstration. 
H. C. Cheston, Apparatus for determining the heat of vaporiza¬ 
tion OF WATER, USING ELECTRIC CURRENT TO PROVIDE 
THE HEAT. 
