tiring president, A. S. Hitchcock, who addressed the society on "Taxonomic Botany and the Washington Botanist.''

The speaker stated that the members of the Botanical Society of Washington are nearly all specialists in the employ of the national government. They must depend upon extra-official opportunities for broadening their outlook and for keeping in touch with the development of botanical research. The speaker brought to their attention the opportunity afforded by a study of the local flora. Every scientist should have training in the two methods for establishing facts, that of experiment and that of repeated observations. The first method is used by the physiologist; the second by the taxonomist. In studying the local flora the Washington botanist can train himself in taxonomic methods and at the same time accumulate valuable botanical data. The speaker outlined the fundamental scope of taxonomic training and called attention to the ways in which the student should apply the general principles to his studies of the local flora. The investigator should free himself from the shackles of authority. He should see things as they are rather than as others say they are. He should learn to make accurate observations and to use these to determine the truth and not to establish a theory or a concept. In all his investigations he should keep his criterion of accomplishment well in advance. He whose ideal is his own best work ceases to progress. Finally the speaker advised young authors, when publishing, to prepare their manuscript with care in regard to clearness, conciseness and technique. Clear thinking leads to clear writing. Care in technique may be taken as an evidence of care in gathering the data which the writing records.

The address will be published in full in the Journal of the Washington Academy.

H. L. SHANTZ, Corresponding Secretary

THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON THE 566th meeting of the society was held in the assembly hall of the Cosmos Club Saturday, February 24, 1917, called to order by President Hay at 8 P.M., with 50 persons in attendance.

Under the heading book notices, brief notes, exhibition of specimens, etc., M. W. Lyon, Jr., called attention to the latest edition of the International Rules of Zoological Nomenclature containing a summary of the opinions that have been rendered by the International Commission, compiled by Mr. John Smallwood, of Washington.

Dr. R. W. Shufeldt communicated a short paper entitled "Notes on the Trunk-fishes'' and exhibited a specimen of Lactophrys tricornis.

Dr. L. O. Howard commented on the parent tree of an unusually fine variety of oranges and the extraordinary care taken of it by the owner during the recent cold weather in Florida.

Mr. Wm. Palmer also commented on the effects of the recent "freeze" in Florida.

The regular program consisted of three communications as follows:

T. S. Palmer: "A Pioneer Naturalist in Southern Florida-Extracts from the Diary of Titian R. Peale, 1825.'' •

Dr. Palmer gave a detailed account of Peale's collecting trip in Florida in 1825 made for the purpose of securing birds for Prince Louis Bonaparte and mentioned and exhibited the species of birds discovered by Peale as new to science or new to the United States. He read extracts from Peale's diary and called attention to the other scientific expeditions of which Peale was a member giving many interesting facts of his long life.

Some Notes on the Aleyrodida: A. L. QUAINTANCE. The Shad and its Relatives in the Mississippi River: EMERSON STRINGHAM (introduced by R. E. Coker).

Mr. Stringham said that herring-like fishes found in the Mississippi River possess more economic significance than formerly recognized. The two mooneyes (Hiodon) have flesh of excellent quality, but they are not sufficiently abundant to be of great importance; they eat principally insects, and feed both summer and winter, day and night; they deposit their eggs as soon as the water temperature begins to rise in spring. The gizzard shad (Dorosoma) which serves as food for other fishes is less abundant in the Mississippi proper than in slues and lakes. The river herring (Pomolobus chrysochloris), known as the host of a mussel of great value, feeds on insects when they are abundant, and on fishes at other times; it breeds early in summer; fears are entertained that the fish and mussel may be excluded from the upper river by a dam at Keokuk, Iowa. The Ohio shad (Alosa ohiensis) seems clearly distinct from the Atlantic shad, but is sufficiently similar to be equally good food, though smaller; on the Mississippi this valuable resource is not utilized; the habits of the fish are similar to those of the Atlantic species, but it has not yet been proved to be anadromous.

M. W. LYON, JR., Recording Secretary

THE RELATION OF WAR TO CHEMISTRY IN AMERICA1

WAR is an evil beyond the power of language to express. To kill one's neighbor or one's enemy is so repellent a thought that one cries out in horror at the idea and instinctively wants to refuse to have any part in action or government which involves such baseness irrespective of the provocation. It is only with the greatest difficulty that we persuade ourselves to act together in any such capacity except in spontaneous defense. Were it not for the religious emphasis upon our duty to support the civil magistrate in the execution of righteous law, and therefore to resist aggression against such law, we would find little ground to stand upon in our present crisis, except it be the desire to bring annihilation upon the philosophy which gave rise to this world war.

It has become more and more apparent that we have been dealing with a power in the case of Germany that is as unscrupulous as her acts are unmanly and cruel, and that the complaints of her opponents against her since 1870 have probably not been overdrawn. The pall of horror and indignation which fell upon us during the invasion of Belgium and France was relieved when the Marne gave hope that there was still power enough in the world to frustrate the dream of the bully. This pall has been slowly growing upon us again, however, in spite of the persistent efforts of the German propaganda amongst us to conceal and belie the reports of the damnable conduct of their armies and government at

1 The annual address before the Ohio Academy of Science, Columbus meeting, April 6, 1917.

home and in the hapless countries for a time at their mercy. Because of these things we see men everywhere bowed down and depressed as it becomes clearly demonstrated that science, mental endowments and education are no specifics against a wicked heart. These things we really knew before but refused to believe. They are demonstrated to us now by appalling examples so that the whole thinking community has become so mentally and spiritually depressed that one has great difficulty in going about one's normal work, health is damaged and continued research is a matter of great difficulty. A nation of unusual opportunities, great mental endowment and development in science seems to have become the willing or at least easily manipulated pawn in the hands of the unscrupulous statesman. We have not forgotten that it was a chemist, Ostwald, in the early days of the war, when he was acting as a spokesman for Germany to men of science throughout the world who was quoted, when Germany was in the flush of her initial victories over Belgium, as saying the world had outgrown the idea of freedom for little or weak peoples.

War, therefore, is a universal mental depressant and as such, alone, must damage progress in science. It saps national energy and material resources. It destroys the life of the younger generation of scientists and, in large part, the student material from which the scientists of the future are recruited. It interferes with systematic research in many lines by mentally depressing the workers, placing insuperable difficulties in their path and at times by destroying priceless work, records and literature. Certainly war is not desirable to science, even if we could restrain our detestation of it and all its works.

Bitterly as we may condemn war, we should be wrong, however, to claim that science stagnated or declined in war time.

Since war requires brains, science is of course utilized, and since the demand is inexorable, science must produce, and when science and engineering are producing, they grow. We have come to learn that modern war is a scientific business undertaking. It involves the use of all vital human endeavors, and therefore to varying extent, of all applied science. On the one hand, it involves the utilization of medical science to maintain physical efficiency and speedily repair damage to the fighting machine. On the other hand, it involves the utilization of agricultural, physical and chemical science in feeding and clothing the whole military and naval establishment, and manufacturing the equipment, armament and "concentrated energy" or explosives consumed by the fighting force. It is stated that it requires three men in the shops to maintain one man in the army and seven men for one in the navy. It is evident therefore that it is the applied portions of science. that are most used and hence that grow most under war's influence. It is common experience, however, that the stretching into new domains and the striving for new goals by applied science, enriches the feeding ground of unapplied science and uncovers fertile fields for the patient and quiet research which follows and which often becomes the very backbone of science itself. These results are scarcely visible and will not mature in any event, for years after the war, so that we can see at present little good effect upon unapplied science and we feel quite certain that the reverse influences have the upper hand.

Although it would not be wise at present even if we had the time to go into detail in discussing this subject nor would it profit you particularly, yet it may be useful to emphasize certain points of view which come sharply to our attention when we attempt to survey the field.

WAR'S DAMAGE TO UNAPPLIED CHEMISTRY

We could scarcely expect to estimate the retarding effect of the war on chemistry, because we can not pry into it deeply and broadly enough to prove our impressions, for research is partly in the minds of scientific workers. However, certain signs of influences actually exist which tend to weaken and retard progress. The American Chemical Society of some 9,000 members, the largest chemical society in the world, publishes twice a month the journal Chemical Abstracts. Its editorial offices are in the chemistry building, a few steps from the one in which we are now assembled. Chemical Abstracts has for some years covered the field of chemistry by abstracts more thoroughly than any foreign journal of the kind. It reviews some 600 journals from all parts of the world and there is spent upon it by the American Chemical Society an annual budget of over $40,000. It is easily seen that this must be the most powerful and most important agency for research in chemistry, and perhaps also in any science, that exists in the world. Some quantitative idea of the evil effect of the war upon chemistry in general may be gotten from its effects upon this colossal agency for assisting applied as well as unapplied research in chemistry.

Inquiry to the editor of Chemical Abstracts developed that the effect of the war on current chemical literature as reflected in Chemical Abstracts may be shown approximately by the following statement: Total No. of abstracts published (patents included) in 1913

more or less direct interest to chemists, as Chemical Abstracts has continued closely to approach completeness in spite of war conditions. The quality of the papers being published is somewhat below the normal standard. Not a great many foreign chemical journals have entirely ceased publication since the war started, but all show a more or less marked decrease in the number of pages turned out. Most of the French and German journals are published much less frequently than in normal times, two or more numbers being grouped under one cover. Apparently no important English, Italian or Russian chemical journal has ceased publication since the war started. The following list includes the journals concerning which we have uncertain information but which indicates that they have probably ceased publication due to the war:

25,971

J. d'agr. trop.

J. des. fabr. sucre.

J. physique.

J. sci. math. phys. nat. Radium.

Mon, ceram. verr.

Mon. teint.

Nord Brass.

Papier.

Petit brasseur.
Rev. chim. appl.

Rev. chim. ind.
Rev. electrochim.

Rev. viticulture.

Rev. gen. mat. color. Sucrerie Ind. colon. Thirty-one journals.

Austrian:

Oesterr. Z. Berg. Hüttenw. One journal.

Belgian:

Bull. acad. roy. med. belg. Bull. sci. acad. roy. belg. Bull. soc. chim. belg.

J. pharm. soc. d'anvers.

Rev. intern. pharm.
Sucrerie Belg.
Chimiste.

Seven journals.

The cost of publication of Chemical Abstracts has been increased by about 10 per cent. as a result of the war. This is chiefly due to the increased cost of paper. The same percentage increase will enter into the cost of the Decennial Index to Chemical Abstracts, which is about to be issued by the American Chemical Society at a cost of over $30,000.

Need we go further for evidence of the ill effects of war upon science? Certainly it takes little insight to see that this stoppage or at least side-tracking of the wheels of chemical research will be felt in this science for years to come.

WAR'S RELATION TO APPLIED CHEMISTRY In considering the applied side of chemistry let us remember that war is essentially engineering. Its object is to overcome natural and artificial obstacles. It must there

fore get results which are deliberately selected at the will of those directing the war. It insists, therefore, that every one and everything must produce. Its main agents are engineering and applied chemistry, the engineering, because it struggles with the problems of space and time and material for tools and weapons, and applied chemistry, because it is a necessary handmaiden to efficient engineering, and in addition furnishes the source and vehicle for convenient and effective handling of energy in the most concentrated forms. The chemical energy of the modern high explosive is the strong right arm of the fighting force and without it armies are but chaff. With British control of the seas, German armies with all their numbers, thorough equipment and splendid military power, would have been impotent in a few weeks or months without the chemical ability to get nitric acid from atmospheric nitrogen instead of Chilean nitrate, for without nitric acid high explosives and even smokeless powder are impossible.

The time at our disposal is too brief to touch on all the divisions of applied chemistry. Much progress, for instance, has been made in the domain of the special branch called engineering chemistry which involves among other things, the chemical investigation of materials for alloys, shrapnel, aeroplanes, submarines and other war supplies. It would be unwise, now that we have become involved in the war, to deal publicly with some of the improvements in this field, for they are vital as well as interesting.

esting. Some of us have followed the policy during the last three years of not even discussing with our colleagues or students such innovations of military importance in this and the allied countries as have come to our attention, which might by any means percolate into Germany. The branch of applied chemistry known as metallurgy in which this country is perhaps the most