Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 28.djvu/296

286 physiological, taxonomic, and geographical—which are commonly attempted in museums, but which it is rarely possible to complete, specimens representing an equal amount of time or money would have a higher educational value if divided among a considerable number of special series, each illustrating some morphological or teleological principle. . . . Instead of vainly attempting to obtain and exhibit all the species of all the groups, most educational museums would attain more satisfactory results by selecting the more interesting or instructive forms from all classes, and limiting their efforts to complete groups for a few, upon which, as well as upon a larger number, may be illustrated the principles of classification and of individual and geographical variation. Among special series other than systematic, are analogous forms and structures which are sometimes mistaken for one another, but arc more readily discriminated when brought together. . . . Physiological series would contain the hibernating animals, those which are blind or nearly so, and such as are provided with scent-glands or tusks, and all poisonous vertebrates. A local collection should embrace all the animals of the vicinity, and will benefit the student, both as an example for him to follow or improve upon, and as exemplifying the laws of geographical distribution and the influence of environment. The local collection need not contain anatomical preparations, but should exhibit both sexes and all stages of growth—its mode of life, friends, and foes—so as to interest also the children, farmers, fishermen, hunters, and other residents of the neighborhood."

In a paper on the hybridization and cross-fertilization of plants, Professor E. L. Sturtevant, of the New York Agricultural Experiment Station, showed that in our common vegetables cross-fertilization tends toward atavism, or reversion to an ancestral form, rather than to a blending of the individual properties of the present plants.

In describing some of the habits of the musk-rat, Mr. A. W. Butler mentioned well authenticated cases of the change of habits as a means of adapting itself to the changed conditions of life brought about by the presence of civilized man.

Mr. J. C. Arthur reported, as the result of his investigations of pear-blight, that sap from an infected tree when inoculated into a healthy tree, invariably produced the disease; that when cultures to the sixth generation of organisms were made with all precaution to prevent error, and healthy trees were inoculated with the pure culture of this sixth generation, the tree was stricken with blight, which started from the point of inoculation and gradually extended over the whole plant; and that, wherever there was a blight not produced by freezing, bacteria of this species were invariably present. Professor Bessey read a paper on the inflorescence of the dodder.

The Section of Histology and Microscopy was discontinued, at the request of its members.

The Native Tribes of Alaska.—Mr. W. H. Dall's address to the Anthropological Section of the American Association was on "The Native Tribes of Alaska." Passing by the details in it which are chiefly of interest to specialists, we are informed that the tribal limits of the western Innuit, geographically considered, are very mutable, and constantly changing in small details. This arises from the fact that the geographical group which we have called a tribe among the Innuit is not a political organization headed by a chief or chiefs, but simply a geographical aggregation of people who have by possession obtained certain de facto rights of hunting, fishing, etc., over a certain area. The jealousy of adjacent groups keeps the imaginary boundary-line pretty well defined, through fear of reprisals should it be violated, but under the influence of the whites, with their trading-posts, the boundaries are becoming violable with impunity, and are falling into oblivion. Hence the geographical names distinguishing the groups are ceasing to have any serious significance. The degree of civilization which the Aleuts have attained is very promising. The people are not scattered over the archipelago except in their hunting-parties. Notwithstanding the nominal division into groups, they are practically as much one people as those of two adjacent English counties. The Rev. Mr. Dorsey gave an account of the peculiarities of the language spoken at the Siletz Indian