400 Scientific Intelligence. 



other new stars, being continuous with a number of dark lines, 

 and a few inconspicuous bright lines. By February 24, however, 

 the star seems to have attained the stage observed in the new 

 star in Auriga in 1892, as there appear two superposed and 

 slightly separated spectra, one of dark and one of bright lines, 

 either showing the presence of two bodies with enormous relative 

 velocities or, more likely, some remarkable physical conditions 

 in one body alone. The interpretation of the totality of the 

 phenomena presented by this star will doubtless prove very 

 valuable for our knowledge of the constitution and formation of 

 the stellar universe. w. l. e. 



2. National Academy of Sciences. — The annual meeting of 

 the National Academy was held in Washington, April 16-18th. 

 The list of papers presented is given below. Professor Alexander 

 Agassiz was elected President in place of Dr. Wolcott Gibbs, who 

 resigned in April, 1900. Dr. Arnold Hague was elected Home 

 Secretary and Professor Ira Remsen Foreign Secretary. The 

 following gentlemen were made members of the Academy : Dr. 

 George F. Becker of Washington, Prof. J. McK. Cattell and 

 T. M. Prudden of New York, Prof. E. H. Moore of Chicago and 

 Prof. E. F. Nichols of Ithaca. The titles of papers presented are 

 as follows : 



Henry L. Abbot : The climatology of the Isthmus of Panama. 



R. S. Woodward : The effects of secular cooling and meteoric dust on the 

 length of the terrestrial day. 



Alpiieus Hyatt : The use of formulas in demonstrating the relations of the 

 life history of an individual to the evolution of its group. 



E. B. Wilson: Artificial parthenogenesis and its relation to normal fertiliza- 

 tion. 



Carl Barus: Simultaneous volumetric and electric graduation of the condensa- 

 tion tube. 



W. 0. Aiwater: Table of results of an experimental inquiry regarding the 

 nutritive action of alcohol. 



Theo. Gill: The significance of the dissimilar limbs of the Ornithopodous 

 Dinosaurs. 



J. W. Powell : The place of Mind in Nature. The foundation of Mind. 



Alexander Graham Bell: Conditions affecting the fertility of sheep and the 

 sex of their offspring. 



S. P. Langley : The new spectrum. 



3. Report of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution for 

 the year ending June 30th, 1900. Pp. 117, with 18 plates. 

 Washington, 1900. — Prof. Langley's annual report gives a sum- 

 mary of the year's work by the Smithsonian Institution in its 

 many directions of useful activity. The appendixes which follow 

 the formal report contain more detailed statements in regard to 

 some of the departments ; as, the National Museum, the Zoolog- 

 ical Garden, the International Exchange Service, and the Astro- 

 physical Observatory, etc. The last report, by Mr. C. G. Abbot, 

 Aid-in-charge, is especially interesting, since it details, with 

 numerous illustrations, the work done by the Smithsonian party 

 at the total eclipse of May, 1900. Mr. Abbot gives the follow- 

 ing summary of the work of the Observatory : 



