Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

PROCEEDINGS

THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION

FOR THE

ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE,

THIRTY-FIFTH MEETING,

HELD AT

BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

AUGUST, 1886.

SALEM:

PUBLISHED BY THE PERMANENT SECRETARY.

JANUARY, 1887.

EDITED BY

FREDERICK W. Putnam, Permanent Secretary.

PRINTED AT

THE SALEM PRESS,

SALEM, MASS.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Officers of the Buffalo Meeting

Standing Committee of the Buffalo Meeting

Local Committee of the Buffalo Meeting

Special Committees of the Association

Meetings and Officers of the Association of American Geologists and Natural-

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ADDRESS OF THE RETIRING PRESIDENT H. A. NEWTON

Report of the committee on indexing chemical literature

Appendix to the report of committee on indexing chemical literature. A

problem in chemical bibliography.

Fourth report of the committee on standards of stellar magnitudes

Report of the committee on "physics teaching"

Report of progress of committee on deaths, births and marriages

Report of committee on international scientific congress

Report of the American committee of the international congress of geologists

Second differentials and equicrescent variables. By J. BURKITT WEBB

Some properties of the torus. By C. M. WOODWARD

A new demonstration of Cayley's theorem on the intersections of curves. By

H. B. FINE

Any point or plane (tangential) singularity in an element of a curve of double

curvature can be completely defined by aid of three singularity indices

KKK. By H. B. FINE

Photographic determinations of stellar positions. By B. A. GOULD

Some account of a new catalogue of the magnitude of southern stars. By

EDWIN F. SAWYER

A comparative estimate of methods and results in stellar photometry. By S.

C. CHANDLER, jr.

Comparison of the Boss and Auwers declination standard. By HENRY

FARQUHAR

A neglected correction in the use of refraction tables. By CLEVELAND Abbe.
On certain discontinuous and indeterminate functions, with applications. By
CHARLES K. WEAD (Title)

On the limitations in the use of Taylor's theorem for the computation of the
precessions of close polar stars. By Wм. A. ROGERS and ANNA WIN-
LOCK (Title)

On a method of determining the constants of precession, which is partially

independent of the variations of the proper motion of the stars employed.

By WM. A. ROGERS (Title)

On the degree of accuracy which may be expected from chronograph records.
By WM. A. ROGERS (Title)

Comparison of the places of the pleiades as determined by the Königsberg

and Yale College heliometers. By W. L. ELKIN (Title)

On some mechanical attachments (partly novel, and partly not) for facilitating

the astronomer's work with the equatorial. By DAVID P. TODD (Title)

Change in latitude of the Sayre observatory. By C. L. DOOLITTLE (Title)

On the use of the zenith telescope for latitude. By S. C. CHANDLER, jr. (Title)

Magnifying power of telescopes. By HENRY M. PARKHURST (Title)

Telescopic observations of meteor trains. By E. E. BARNARD (Title)

A new theory of gravitation. By JOHN H. KEDZIE (Title)

On a method of obtaining the mean apparent diameter of the sun. By SAMUEL

MARSDEN (Title)

The tangent index: an instrument to exhibit the direction of a tangent to

the earth's orbit, and the direction of the earth's motion in space at any

time. By JOHN HAYWOOD (Title)

Report of progress in the study of atmospheric electricity. By T. C. MEN-

A new determination of the relative lengths of the imperial yard and of the

metre des archives. By WM. A. ROGERS

111

112

Description of a combined yard and metre which will be used by the de-

partment of standards of the British board of trade in a definitive deter

mination of the relative lengths of the imperial yard and of the metre des

archives. By WM. A. ROGERS

A study of the idiosyncrasies of mercurial and metal thermometers. By

WM. A. ROGERS

Observations on the formation of dew, at Houghton Farm, Mountainville,

Orange Co., New York, summer of A. D. 1884. Read by HENRY E. AL-

On, a method of counteracting the effect of change of level of the torsion bal.

ance. By WM. KENT

On the application of a mirror to the multiplication of the indications of a

torsion balance. By WM. KENT

116

On the time of contact between the hammer and string in a piano. By C. K.

WEAD

117

Upon the increase of torsional elasticity of metallic wires. By WILLIAM A.

ANTHONY

On a method of registering small variations of speed, "and determining the
absolute number of evolutions of an engine or other running machinery.
By WM. A. ANTHONY