, 1873-08-30
SCIENCE.
Tho Session Of tho American Sc1cntillc
Association Mt Portland, lie.


Till ao"n tlscir open tnroats, to nnorEo ngnin
won danger is past. This Ina boon mootoil
question III Hcionco aiuco tho publication Of
whites Natural History OF solborne." In 1880.
Though many observations hnyo boon made,
nono aoom to havo boon entirely satisfactory,
aud tho question Ia stiM unsettled. In ortlor to
gatlor largo number Of observations, Il quoa-
tion was inserted in n lato number of tho An,er-
fcan Agricuuriss. In ropy, ninety four ailirma-
1.-Two testimonies waro received from porsona
who had Witnessed whole or part Of tho act.
We layo alBo tho Btatomonts Of Prof.
Smith, Of Now Haven; DR.. Edward Palmer,
Of tho Smithsonian Institution; and other natur-
alists, who have soon tho act. It in proved be-
yond doubt that tho young voluntarily enter
tho mothor's mouth, md that they can oasy
run out again. Two witnossos testify to sooing
thom run out aftor tic supposed danger was
pnssod. Eminent psychologists 800 no reason
| Why young snnkos may not romaiu hiddon thus
| for considerable poriod. Certain fishes arc
we'll known to carry their eggs about iii their
| mouths. Certnin lizards also arc beiievot to
swallow thoir young. It Is noteworthy that
| only vivipnroua snakes aro known to l1nvo this
| hnbit,-tho oyiporous species novor hnying boon
observed in tic net.
TlliB question brought aoyoral Professors to
their foot each ono striving to tell story which
should exccotl in tho number Of snakes swallow
cd, tho atory told BY hp predecessor.
ToADs.
Dr.. Thomas Till, of Portland, road "Noto
on tho Dufo Amoricanus," which, Us tho Char-
man quantity announced, il toad. This, like
tho paper on snatcs, brought out storioa from
several tnonlbcrs,-tllo climax being capped by
man WHO had uoon toad swallow With ro1ish 713
louao-1ies
! TIE nna1N.
Prof. Burt Green Wilder followed with an o.
say on tho Cerebral Tissues Of Masnmalia, aud
Tho Limits Of Thoir Homologies." His paper
was rendered moro lucid by diagrams. Ho
showed tho form and general character Of brain
Of several animals and human boings. Ho hold
tat tho science OF tile brain isas inita infancy
| Hitherto We luyo boon Htndying Oil tho wrong
| track. Now we think wo nro OH tho right
| track, and NO hopo in n fow yoArB to havo
arrived at somo ;gonora} iooa Of tho subj
| There aro tloo directions in which brain forco
| wild lion haa moro conyolution thnn tho tamo
| cat. Drnin conyolntiuns therefore rplato ns'
much to physical mud sexual force aB to 1no,a-
tn. III dogs tho rate Tor Wild md domestic ones
drawn his Chart, not from tllo brain, but from
tho skull and nj tho outer surface or tho skull
iss no indication OF that Of the brain, these
charts ere worthless: Fhe pl'ronSo!ogi4st has '
/
blasphomy for u nun in iiftcon minutos TO tell Il
nlau lia future destiny, lis present character.
rhronology IN monatrous. 1t ib n .prohigioua
humbug-,!hnt is, in it's present rractice. Loss
| Of speech IL said to be duo to trouble III tho
left side Of the frontal region Of tho
brain. This is not invariably tile case.
! Wn mnBt Btndy tho brains Of thoso
whose charactors wo we'll know. At present no
studying tho characters Of pnupers and those
who nre executed. who, OIL far as we know, mover
| Ind character We to not like to Study the
brains Of our wives or children. We must hayo
all intitnately-known brain to study, or VIC study
in the dnrk. Tho animals with which we arc
most intimately acquainted, and which are most
casy obtainRhlc, arc Digs, and Wltl, thoso wo
| must commence our study.
| BpInEnS.
waa Devoted to trying to show that spiders could
fly with all tho oase of tic ml,oll- famed min Of
tho trapeze, and much nftor the samo fn5hlon.
NIAGARA FALLS.
Prof. George W. Holly road u papor on "Tho
Future Of Ningara, in lloview Of Prof. TyntlallB
Lecture Thereon" "Iheproximato future Of Nj
ngara at the ratio Of excavation assigned to it by
Sir Charles Lyle, VIZ; . foot year, in 5000
Goat Island, und drain tho American branch OF
tho river and mako it cutivntable ground" So
says Prof. TyndI}l. Prof. Holly calculates from
humorous 1nasses which have fallen from tile
thrcc-tontl,s Of 4 foot year, and this to woar
back six miles would occupy 10000 years. or
$4,000 ycarA for n milo. Tic American creeks
getting dry and cu|tivatablo is quite out Of the
question, OIL account Of the topography Of the
country, and other creeks i'll connection, thus
throwing 1'yndall's theories out Of tho question.
Mr.. Holly gavo 4 long and minute description OF
tho country aud the bod Of the riyor, as far az
about feet deeper than tho sido channels.
This current, according to Prof. TyndaIl, is to
DO tho future site Of tito Horseshoe Falls. Prof
Holly thought this statement was at lonst moat
l faHfs {f.ru
coded rods. The water has carried away moro
area than 10 feet Of bonltors, cobbleatones, aud
earth nnd formed for itaolf a doopor el,nunol
tlan it had bofore. From this Prof Tynlnll
draws hH conclusions, aud Prof. Holly thought
they wero III the nain incorrect. Lie afterwar1
noted several inaccuracies Of 1ess important
character, mud closed by saving thak Prof. Tyn-
dals stylo il 30 vigorous and animated that one
ro.nancing than tho most realistic utterances oi
! liB brother scientists.
GEysEns.
| DR.. -. Andrews, OF Chicago, presented II
Illustrated by all Artificial deyoor." Tho author
, objected to the theory Of goyser action as pro-
posed by Tyntlall and D.nHea, AZ accounting
only for briof oruptionn of foam and apray,
throw streams Of clear water for l:af an hour ut
time. Dr.. Andrews s1lppoBcs That tho coll
ditiona Of d goysor exist wllonoror the cooler
waters Of surrounding roglolls pass BY Habtor:
rauean cllhl!nclh decply lhto tlso ehrtn anu hp'
, proaching tho yolcane goyaar region, riso some.
! what 30 as to o1tter ouo of tho heated cayorns
of tho volcanic rocks ncar its upper part, ,loayng
it again by MI opening lower tlan tho ono al
which they ontorcd, and passing thence upward
, toward tho aurlace. Tho actloli is MS follows
, The heat Of the rockn III the cavern causoH the
water to boil; steam acoumlllates In tho uppoi
i portion Of tho cayorn, and oxorts pressure or
the watorl bnt cannot itself escapo, because oi
. tho inverted Byphon form Of tho cave; nor cat
tho steam escnpo Mt tho outlet Cpnuol. Bincf
that oriflco is below tho surface Of tho wator
J.. Tho stclm pressure therefore constantly III
oreases, forcing tic water to rush from tho out.
Wal a 10 III arnto s vi"ru h ro,ro 1o
ducng geyser action perfectly.
!, CONVERSION or MOTION INTO HEAT.
, 7. ". Clark, Of Boston, read q papor upon the
; ma1iug iron rel-lot by pounding, mud testified t
: having sonn it tlono A bar ono-eighlh Of oil
: | inch III thicknoas waa loatel to q bright rcd