1886.] 249 [Davis. 



the Museum of Comparative Zoology, a member of the Society 

 for eleven years. 



The gift to the Museum by Mr. Charles James Sprague of his 

 valuable collection of North American lichens was announced and 

 a report on the same referred to a subsequent meeting. 



The following members were elected : 



Corresponding Members : Dr. Charles L. Metz of Madisonville, 

 O., Dr. R. von Lendenfeld of Sydney, Australia, Mr. C. S. Wilkin- 

 son of Sydney, Australia, and Baron Ferd. von Miiller of Mel- 

 bourne, Australia. 



Corporate Members : Miss Mary A. Wilcox, Mrs. A. L. Board- 

 man, Mr. N. T. Kidder, Mr. Roland Thaxter, and Mr. Robert T. 

 Jackson. 



Associate Members : Mr. Arthur C. Boyden, Mrs. Sarah F. 

 Day, Miss L. Theresa Moses and Ensign Wm. E. SarTord, U. S. N. 



Mr. F. H. Cushing occupied the rest of the evening with an in- 

 teresting account of some of the Zuni myths, and their origin. 



General Meeting, Jan. 20, 1886. 

 The President, Mr. S. H. Scudder, in the chair. 

 Professor William M. Davis spoke of the Chinook winds of the 

 northwest which he regarded as essentially equivalent to the Foelm 

 of Switzerland and similar warm, dry winds of other mountain 

 countries. In a classification of the winds, it belongs with those 

 temporary currents dependent for their motion on the approach of 

 a center of low pressure (cyclonic area), and for their physical 

 peculiarities on the geography of their path. Like the northeast 

 winds of our winter storms, it is propagated backwards. When the 

 air is drawn away from the Piedmont region, a breeze flows out 

 from the valley over the open country ; then a current from the 

 mountain crests runs down into the valleys, and at last air from the 

 further side of the range is induced to rise and cross over it. In 

 winter, when the Chinook and the Foehn are more distinct, the 

 vertical decrease of temperature in the atmosphere is relatively 

 slow ; and therefore when upper winter air is brought down to 

 lower levels, its temperature rises as it is compressed during de- 

 scent, and it becomes a warm dry wind. This is the most effective 

 cause of the Foehn as Hann has shown for the Alps. A second 

 cause is found in the retarded cooling of the cloudy, rainy cur- 



