Geographical Section, gave a review of the "Early History of the North American Continent." In the General Sciences, Professor E. D. Cope presented in a lecture "The Evidence for Evolution in the History of the Extinct Mammalia," and Dr. T. Sterry Hunt outlined "A Classification of the Natural Sciences." The Committee on Indexing the Literature of Chemical Elements reported progress to the Chemical Section. Among the other papers read in the various sections we notice that of Professor Holden, of Madison, Wisconsin, on the total solar eclipse of May 6, 1883, and Dr. Janssen's letter on the French observations of the same phenomenon. Mr. G. W. Hough, of Chicago, discussed some "Physical Phenomena on the Planet Jupiter." Mr. O. S. Wolcott, of Chicago, considered "Some Hitherto Undeveloped Properties of Squares." Professor W. A. Rogers continued from the Montreal meeting the subject of the determination of the relation between the imperial yard and the metre of the archives. Mr. F. E. Nipher, of St. Louis, gave an account of the magnetic survey of Missouri. The Signal Service received attention in a criticism of its operations and efficiency by Gustavus Heinrichs; in an account by Professor Mendenhall, of a method for the distribution of weather forecasts by means of emblems fixed upon railway-trains, which has been tried in Ohio; and in a plan for a State signal service, by Professor Nipher. Professor Macfarland, of Towanda, Pennsylvania, endeavored to show, in his paper on "The New Madrid Earthquake" of 1811, that the phenomenon was not an earthquake, but a subsidence of land which had been undermined by limestone caverns. Julius Pohlman, of Buffalo, presented a new view of the "Life History of Niagara River"; Professor Warren Upham read a paper on "The Minnesota Valley in the Ice Age." Much attention was given to topics bearing on agriculture, in the address of Professor Beal on that subject, and in papers by Professor Richardson on the composition of American wheat, of Professor Sturtevant on maize and sorghum kernels and on agricultural botany, and of Professor H. W. Wiley on American butter. Professor E. S. Morse gave an interesting account of the manner in which he had made use of the sun's rays for ventilating and partly warming his rooms, and presented papers on Japanese games and Eastern kitchens. Among the remaining papers we remark those of Elizur Wright on "Life-Insurance and Self-Insurance"; of Professor J. C. Arthur on a sea-weed of the Wisconsin lakes which produces poisonous effects at particular seasons; of T. R. Baker on terra-cotta lumber; of Professor Claypole on the potato-beetle and the Hessian fly; of Professor Riley on an insect exterminator; and observations on caverns, and on cyclones and tornadoes. We propose to publish abstracts or full reports in future numbers of such of these papers as may be of more general and popular interest. The next meeting of the Association was appointed to be held in Philadelphia. Dr. J. P. Lesley, of Philadelphia, was chosen President for the year, and sectional vice-presidents were appointed as follows: A (Mathematics and Astronomy), Professor H. T. Eddy, of Cincinnati; B (Physics), Professor John Trowbridge, of Cambridge; C (Chemistry), Professor J. W. Langley, of Ann Arbor; D (Mechanical Science), Professor H. B. Thurston, of Hoboken; E (Geology and Geography), Professor N. H. Winchell, of Minneapolis; F (Biology), Professor E. D. Cope, of Philadelphia; G (Histology and Microscopy), Professor T. G. Wormley, of Philadelphia; H (Anthropology), Professor E. S. Morse, of Salem; I (Economic Science and Statistics), Hon. John Eaton, of Washington. Permanent Secretary, Mr. F. W. Putnam, of Cambridge; General Secretary, Dr. Alfred Springer, of Cincinnati.
Dr. Harkness on the Nevada Footprints.—Dr. D. W. Harkness has contributed a paper to the San Francisco Academy of Sciences stating his reasons for maintaining, against the arguments of Professor Marsh and others, that the Carson (Nevada) "footprints" were made by a man, "homo Nevadensis" and not by a quadruped. The reasons are founded on the evidence given by the impressions that they were not made by a natural foot, but by one supplied with an artificial protection. Among the points of evidence adduced by Dr. Harkness is that the marks of the pads or cushions, with which the feet of all animals are provided,
