430 Scientijio Intelligence. 



III. MrSCELLANEOTTS SoiENTIFIO INTELLIGENCE. 



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

 of the National Academy was held at St. Louis on Nov. 8 to 10. 

 The following is a list of papers read : 



George C. Comstock : Some problems of stellar motion. 



Edwin B. Frost : Preliminary note on the Sun's velocity with respect to 

 stars of spectral type A. 



Forest R. Moulton : On the origin of binary stars. 



John M. Coulter : The Cycadophytes. 



William Trelease : A monograph of Agave in the West Indies. 



Eeqinald R. Gates : The mode of chromosome reduction. 



William M. Davis : The Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in Colo- 

 rado. 



George T. Moore : Mutualism, parasitism and symbiosis. 



John U. Nef : Sugar chemistry from the new chemico-physical stand- 

 point, — or the behavior of the sugars toward enzymes, alkalies and oxydiz- 

 ing agents. 



William A. Notes and Luther Knight : Molecular rearrangements in 

 the camphor series : isocamphoric acid. 



Ira Remsen : A molecular rearrangement leading to the formation of 

 anidines. 



On Tuesday evening a lecture was delivered by Prof. T. C. 

 Chamberlin on China. 



2. Maryland Weather Service, Wm. Bullock Clark, Direc- 

 tor, Vol. Ill; The Plant Life of Maryland ; by Forrest 

 Shubve, M. a. Chrysler, Frederick H. Elodgett and F. W. 

 Besley. Pp. 53.3, with 39 plates and 15 figures. Baltimore, 

 1910 (Johns Hopkins Press). — Of the two volumes previously 

 issued in the Maryland Weather Series, the first discussed the 

 physiography and the meteorology of the State, and the second 

 contained a study of the climate and weather of Baltimore and 

 its vicinity. The present volume has a somewhat wider range, 

 dealing with the plant life of the State, particularly as regards its 

 distribution, not only as affected by climate and the physiography 

 of the three prominent zones, but also determined by the nature 

 of the soil. In 1904 a botanical survey of the State was under- 

 taken by Dr. Forrest Shreve, and the important results of the 

 work done by him and his associates are now presented to the 

 public. The close association of the Geological Survey with the 

 Weather Service, both being under the directorship of Professor 

 Clark, has been a fortimate arrangement for the state, both as 

 regards economy of management and the thorough cooperation of 

 the investigations. 



3. International Institute of Vidcanology at Naples. — At the 

 recent Geological Congress held in Stockholm, a proposal was 

 made by Dr. Immanuel Friedl^nder for the establishment of 

 an International Institute of Vulcanology at Naples. This plan 

 was accepted by the Congress and a circular has recently been 

 issued giving details and calling for contributions to this impor- 

 tant cause. The Institute, when established and fully equipped, 



