34 
PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. 
Table III. 
Percentages of Papers on Different Subjects for Different Periods. 
Subjects. 
1871- 
1874. 
1875- 
1878. 
Periods. 
1879- 
1880. 
1881- 
1883. 
1884- 
1887. 
1871 
to 
1887. 
1. Mathematics. _ . ... 
6 
5 
2 
I 
9 
2 
5 
2. Astronomy __ 
23 
18 
18 
7 1 
6 
16 
3. Physics _ _ 
10 
14 
12 
12 
9 
11 
4. Chemistry__ 
4 
2 
6 
1 1 
4 
3 
5. Meteorology . .. . 
9 
5 
4 
13 I 
11 ! 
8 
6. Geology . --- 
6 
8 
9 
14 
27 
13 
7. Geography — - . 
15 
13 
7 
7 
10 
1 11 
8. Biology - -- - - 
9 
9 
10 
9 
6 
: 8 
9. Anthropology_ _ 
6 
15 
19 
11 
1 13 
! 12 
10. Miscellaneous. _ . _ 
12 
11 
13 
1 17 
1 
i 12 
! 
100 
100 
100 
1 100 ' 
j 100 
1 100 
It appears from this table that in the two periods previous to the 
organization of the Anthropological Society the subject of anthro¬ 
pology furnished first 6 and then 15 per cent, of our material, and 
in the following periods it furnished 19,11, and 13 per cents. Biol¬ 
ogy furnished in the first three periods 9, 9, and 10 per cents., and 
after the beginning of the Biological Society 9 per cent, and 6 per 
cent. The percentages of chemistry for the first four periods are 4, 2, 
6, and 1, and for the single period of four years since the organization 
of the Chemical Society, 4. These figures show that the organiza¬ 
tion of scientific societies devoting themselves to the cultivation of 
special scientific fields has not materially affected the interest of our 
Society in the same sciences, so far as that interest may be judged 
by the number of communications presented. 
The table is not arranged to exhibit the effect upon our general 
meeting of the institution of the Mathematical Section, but an inde¬ 
pendent computation has been made with the following result: In 
12 years previous to the Mathematical Section the Society listened 
to 28 mathematical papers, an average of 2.3 per year. In the five 
years following the general meeting listened.to six mathematical 
papers, an average of 1.2 per year. While the amount of mathe- 
