

318 Miscellaneous Intelligence. 



come of it. The regular work of the Association is not so vitally 

 essential that a year's interruption for the sake of a holiday tour 

 will produce any very grave inconvenience." — It can be safely 

 promised that the scientific men of America w ill <!<> what they ean 

 toward making the harm very small, and the profit of the occasion 

 great in all respects. 



3. Report of the New York State Sitn-ey (Triyonometrh'ol) 



for the 2/<ear'l880, J a?"" 1 ^ ^ "™— " rk: - 



with five maps. Alban 



pletion of a line of triangulation across the State of New x one, 



boundary near Lake Erie. The width <.f the State between these 

 points is found to he 320-40 miles, instead of 328-08, the result of 

 former measurements. The exact location also of twenty-three 

 cities and villages along the line lias been determined. The posi- 

 tion of the southern boundary of the State along by Pennsylvania 

 and New Jersey is promised in the report :i s another practical re- 

 sult of the triangulation soon to be realized, 



4. On the Cause of the Infection of the WaU-m at Lille; by M. 

 Alf. Giabd.— The reddish color, bad taste, and unpleasant odor 

 presented at times by the water- o{ the Kmuierin spring which 



the town of Lille have long been noticed by the population 

 town ; but in the spring of this year the infection assumed 

 alarming proportions. On the 2 2d of April the water was abso- 

 lutely unusable ; and from that time every somewhat copious rain- 

 fall was followed by a longer or shorter period of more or less intense 

 infection. During these periods the water carries on its surface a 

 ferruginous red scum which can easily be collected by stretching 

 cloths across the stream. Ferruginous deposits also form in the 

 reservoirs and in certain parts of the distributing channels. These 

 on certain days were so abundant that the horses refused to drink 

 the water which was offered to them. A microscopic examination 

 showed that the cause of the infection was a Schizomycete, Creno- 

 thr'u' Kiihttnuxi Labi nh.. the filaments of which become charged. 

 in contact with the water exposed to the air, with a precipitate of 

 Besquioxide of iron, then putrefy, and communicate a most dis- 

 agreeable flavor to the water. 



This Crenoth /■''.'• has been noticed in several localities, especially 

 Halle, Breslau and Helm, and has been car,. fully studied by Pro- 

 fessors F. Cohn. ( >. r.relehl and \Y. Zopf. To 'the observations 



gonidia, formed in the swolh n extremities ef the tubes of Oreno- 

 thrlj- by transverse division of the bacillur joints constituting 



motion, due to the existence of a tlagcTlum. The latter is visible 

 only with the highest niacin l\ im„' power (Ilartnack immersion ob- 

 jective No. 12). 

 , The gonidia afterward gave birth to an irregular form ( Merit- 

 mopcedia), which is soon transformed into a mass of Zooglcece, 

 similar to a I'.il ,n> 'hi , and finally into ngulurly cylindrical tubes 

 of various lengths. 



