the only remaining source of subsistence. They inspected and took what advantage they could of every opening at the stem or crack in the epidermis, or puncture made by insects which deposit their eggs in the skin of grapes. They regarded the epidermis of the peaches, pears, plums, and other fruits having a thick covering, simply as subjects for inquiry and investigation, and not objects for attack. If the skin be broken or removed, they will, in case of need, lap and suck the juices exposed. The same was also true of the grapes if the skin was broken by violence or burst on account of the fruit becoming overripe; the bees lapped and sucked the juices from the exposed parts of grapes and stored it in the cells for food. They made no attempt to grasp the cuticle of grapes with their mandibles or with their claws. So, in every experiment, bees were found not able to puncture the skins of fruits, or even to take advantage of punctures made by other insects, unless they were of considerable size."
Report of the Proceedings of the American Historical Association. Second Annual Meeting. By Herbert B. Adams, Secretary. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. Pp. 73. Price, 50 cents.
The meeting was held at Saratoga, New York, from the 8th to the 10th of September, 1885, and was attended by fifty members, representing various parts of the country, many institutions of learning, and several historical societies. The meeting of the American Social Science Association at the same time and place, and the attendance of several American librarians whose meeting was in session at Lake George, are mentioned as features adding to the interest of the occasion; and the organization of the American Economic Association under the same roof with, and in the reading-rooms of, the American Historical Association, at hours not conflicting with the latter's appointments, was another notable event in the records of the conventions. All of these bodies are in harmony with one another, and to a certain extent co-operative and complementary of each other's efforts. The report contains abstracts of the papers that were read at the meeting: By President Andrew D. White, on "The Influence of American Ideas upon the French Revolution"; by Goldwin Smith, on "The Political History of Canada"; by Jeffrey R. Bracket, on "Certain Studies in the Institution of African Slavery in the United States"; by Justin Winsor, on certain old maps; by Professor Tuttle, of Cornell University, on new materials for the history of Frederick the Great of Prussia; by Professor Emerton, of Harvard University, on Janssen's account of the Protestant Reformation, and the work of Luther; by Bishop Robertson, on "The Purchase of Louisiana, and its Effects upon the American System"; by Miss Lucy M. Salmon, on "The History of the Appointing Power of the President"; by John Addison Porter, on "The City of Washington: its Origin and Administration"; by Mr. Irving Elting, on "Dutch Village Communities on the Hudson River"; by Dr. Josiah Royce, on "The Secret History of the Acquisition of California"; by Dr. J. F. Jameson, on the study of the constitutional and political history of the individual States; by Dr. Edward Channing, on his index of maps bearing on our early history; by President White, on "The Development of the Modern Cometary Theory"; by General Cullum, on the disposal of Burgoyne's troops after the Saratoga Convention of 1777; by the Hon. Eugene Schuyler, on "Materials for American History in Foreign Archives." The reading of several of these papers was followed by interesting discussions. Davis R. Duvey made a report on a proposed "History of American Political Economy," which had been undertaken by Dr. Ely, Mr. Woodson Wilson, and himself. An historical map of Pennsylvania, by Mr. P. W. Sheafer, was exhibited and described. The Association recommended the organization of local historical societies, and the careful collection and preservation by them of everything which is or may become of historical interest, or a source of historical knowledge; it passed a testimonial resolution in honor of Leopold von Ranke, whom it elected its first honorary member; and it suggested to the Government the advisability of cataloguing all documents relating to the history of the United States down to 1800, existing in the official and private archives of Europe, and of copying and printing the most important of them.
