92 Scientific Intelligence. 



on new rectifying effects in conducting gases ; C. W. Waidner 

 and G. K. Burgess give results of determinations of the temper- 

 ature of the arc varying from 3690° to 3720 c C, according to 

 the form of pyrometer employed. 



3. National Academy of Sciences. — The autumn meeting of 

 the National Academy was held in the buildings of Columbia 

 University, New York city, on November 15 and 16. The fol- 

 lowing is a list of papers presented : 



W. K. Brooks : On the affinities of the Pelagic Tunicates. 



W. K. Brooks and S. Bittenhouse : The life history of Turritopsis. 



W. K. Brooks and B. P. Cowles : Phoronis architecta, its anatomy, life 

 history, and branching habits. 



John Trowbridge : On the electrical resistance of a vacuum. 



Franz Boas : Ps} 7 chic associations in primitive culture. 



M. I. Pupin : Time electrical impulses. 



C. Barus : The occurrence of maxima and minima of atmospheric nucle- 

 ation in approximate coincidence with the winter and summer solstices 

 respectively. 



L. A. Bauer : The system of magnetic forces causing the secular varia- 

 tion of the earth's magnetism. 



B. H. Chittenden : The influence of low proteid metabolism on the 

 formation and excretion of uric acid in man. 



Edward M. Morley : Note on the theory of experiments to detect the 

 second power of the aberration of light. Also, Beport of a repetition of the 

 Michelson-Morley experiment on the drift of the earth through the lumin- 

 iferous ether. 



C. S. Peirce : On topical geometry. 



N. Yatsu : An experimental demonstration of the formation of centro- 

 somes de novo. 



T. H. Morgan : An analysis of the phenomena of organic polarity. 



E. B. Wilson : Experiments on prelocalization in the annelid ovum. 



C. E. Mendenhall : The absolute value of the acceleration of gravity 

 determined by the ring-pendulum method. 



B, S. Woodward : The double suspension pendulum for measuring the 

 acceleration of gravity. 



Theo. Holm : The genus Claytonia, — morphological and anatomical 

 studies. 



Charles S. Hastings : A determination of the dispersive power of the 

 human eye. 



Chas. F. Chandler : The air in the Subway in New York. 



W. H. Dall : Biographical memoir of Charles Emerson Beecher. 



Edgar F. Smith : Biographical memoir of Bobert E. Eogers. 



4. American Association for the Advancement of Science. — 

 The fifty-fourth annual meeting of the American Association was 

 held in Philadelphia, in the buildings of the University of Penn- 

 sylvania, during the week from Dec. 27 to 31. The various 

 affiliated societies also held their meetings at the same time and 

 place. This is the third " Convocation week " that has been 

 observed at this season of the year. 



