1894.] Proceedings of Scientific Societies. 197 
PROCEEDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 
American Society of Naturalists.—The 12th Annual Meeting 
was held in the buildings of Yale University, New Haven, Ct., Dec. 27 
and 28, 1893, Professor Chittenden of Yale occupying the chair. The 
meeting was largely one of business, and the following matters were 
discussed: A movement was inaugurated whereby a closer union could 
be effected between the Society of Naturalists and the affiliated socie- 
ties of Morphologists, of Physiologists and Anatomists. Later the 
societies of Morphologists and Physiologists accepted the new scheme, 
which therefore goes into effect, so far as they are concerned, during 
the present year. It is hoped that later the societies of Psychologists 
and of Geologists will co-operate in the same way. By the new 
scheme all meetings will be held at the same time and place and a 
single notification and a single assessment will answer for all, while 
membership im one of the affiliated societies will carry with it member- 
bership in the Society of Naturalists. Another matter was the ap- 
pointment of a committee consisting of Professors C. S. Minot of Har- 
vard, S. I. Smith of Yale, H. F. Osborn of Columbia, Wm. Libby, 
Jr. of Princeton and William H. Howell of Johns Hopkins to appeal 
to Congress for action which should do away with that tax upon 
knowledge which is embodied in the customs duties upon instruments 
of research. It was’pointed out that these duties were not needed for 
the protection of the American manufacturer, for at least in one in- 
stance, American firms were ready to afford their goods at a price a 
little below the foreign manufacturers to those institutions which could 
obtain duty free prices, while for all others they added the extortionate 
65 per cent. of the present tariff. The principal subject for discussion 
was the present status of our knowledge of the cell, the opening papers 
being by Prof. R. H. Chittenden of Yale, upon the subject from the 
physico-chemical standpoint, and by Prof. E. L. Mark from the 
zoological standpoint. Two illustrated evening lectures were given, 
one by Prof. L. A. Lee of Bowdoin upon a Comparative Study of 
Labrador and Patagonia, the other by Prof. Wm. Libby, Jr. upon the 
Physical Geography of the Hawaian Islands. At the Annual Dinner 
some 75 partook. The following officers were elected for the ensuing 
year: Pres., Prof. C. S. Minot of Boston; Vice Presidents, Prof. S. 
I. Smith of New Haven, Mr. Wm. H. Dall of Washington, Prof. 
Wm. Libby, Jr. of Princeton ; Secretary, Prof. W. A. Setchell of New 
