436 The American Naturalist [May, 



hands) might be retained and cultivated, thus a profoundly different 

 type of man would be produced. Similar changes in the action of 



doubt that the changes of environment and the new habits which it so 

 brings about far outstrip all changes in constitution. This fact which 

 has not been sufficiently emphasized before, offers an explanation of 

 the evidence advanced by Cope and other writers that change in the 

 forms of the skeletons of the vertebrates first appears in ontogeny and 

 subsequently in phylogeny. During the enormously long period of 

 time in which habits induced ontogenic variations it is possible for 

 natural selection to work very -lowly and gradually upon predisposi- 

 tions to useful correlated variations, and thus what are primarily 

 ontogenic variations become slowly apparent as phylogenic variations or 

 congential characters of the race. — C. L. Bristol, Secretary. 



The Academy of Science of St. Louis.— March 16th.— Mr. 

 Trelease presented some of the results of a recent study of the poplars 

 of North America, made by him for the Systematic Botany of North 

 America, and exhibited specimens of the several species and recognized 

 varieties. Specimens were also exhibited of an apparently undescribed 

 poplar from the mountains of northern Mexico, which he proposed to 

 characterize shortly, and, for comparison, specimens of the two other 

 species of poplar known to occur in Mexico, and of the European allies 

 of the supposed new species, were laid before the Academy. The paper 

 was discussed by Drs. Green, Glatfelter, and Kinner, Mr. Window, 

 and Professor Kinealy. 



The Academy, in co-operation with the joint committee of the scien- 

 tific societies of Washington, adopted resolutions favoring the appoint- 

 ment of a permanent chief for the scientific work of the United States 

 Department of Agriculture. 



April 6th.— Prof. C. R. Sanger spoke on the commercial synthesis of 

 acetylene, illustrating the flame procurable from this gas when burned 

 with a proper proportion of air. 



Prof. Sanger also presented the results of a preliminary biological 

 and chemical examination into the ice supply of St. Louis, and ex- 

 hibited a device for melting the ice in such examinations without 

 danger of contamination from atmospheric ammonia, etc. 



The Secretary presented for publication, by title, a paper by Mr. 

 Charles Robertson, entitled " Flowers and Insects." 



Mr. William H. Roever presented a paper on the geometry of the 

 lines of force from an electrified body, in which it was shown that : 



