POPULAR MISCELLANY. 



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been attached to it. He believes that it may 

 be made to throw light on all the branches 

 of science that deal with the structure of the 

 \ earth on geography, geology, paleontology, 

 mineralogy, zoology, anthropology, the phys- 

 ics of the globe, agriculture, public works, 

 and hygiene. In his explorations of caves M. 

 Martel has devoted much attention to those 

 openings which form a peculiar feature in 

 the limestone regions of France and eastern 

 Europe, called goiiffres or pits, which have 

 been regarded hitherto chiefly as curiosities 

 or feeders of superstitious fears, but are al- 

 most virgin to scientific exploration. During 

 six years, from 1888 to 1893, he explored 

 two hundred and thirty of these goiiffres and 

 other cavities, one hundred and sixty-five of 

 which had never been examined before, and 

 made a large number of plans. In this work 

 he had special regard to the hydrology, the 

 origin, location, etc., of subterranean waters, 

 with a view to utilize the lessons of his ob- 

 servations in agriculture, but did not neglect 

 to examine carefully all the other bearings, 

 not letting the most minute features pass un- 

 observed. The results of his investigations 

 have been published in a book, Les Abimes. 



Forests and Climate. Considering the 

 Relation of Forests to Climate and Health, 

 Cleveland Abbe finds that while the forest 

 does not cause increase of rainfall, its tend- 

 ency is to conserve it. The forest shields 

 the moisture from evaporation and uses less 

 of it for its own growth than would be used 

 for the growth of grasses or herbs, and it 

 also conserves what is left in the soil so as 

 to diminish, or at least regulate, the drain- 

 age into the river basins, thereby reducing 

 the danger of destructive floods. The in- 

 fluence of forests extends outside of their 

 boundaries under varying conditions. The 

 effect of forest-covered mountains is to di- 

 minish the cold night winds and the hot day 

 breezes in the valleys below, and to favor 

 the formation of local cloud and rain in them. 

 As the air that flows down the mountain 

 side during the night from a forest has a 

 higher dew point and a lower temperature 

 than that which flows down from an unfor- 

 ested surface, therefore a less amount of 

 cooling will cause it to form fog ; hence the 

 crops in the valley are more likely to be 

 sheltered by the fog from dangerous frosts. 



The most interesting influence of the forest 

 on the leeward side is that which it exerts 

 by virtue of its action as a wind-break. A 

 diminished wind means that the sluggish 

 moving air shall be warmed up in the day- 

 time by contact with the ground much more 

 than would be the swift-moving air when the 

 wind-break is absent. This reacts upon the 

 ground, so that as a consequence both soil 

 and air are warmer. The evaporation from 

 the surface of the soil is also greatly dimin- 

 ished, in consequence of which the soil re- 

 tains more moisture, and is warmer than it 

 would be under the influence of a stronsr 

 wind. At the same time, the air above the 

 soil acquires a higher percentage of relative 

 humidity. Thus the plant has more water 

 at its disposal stored in the earth, while the 

 leaves, apparently, are in less need of water, 

 and transpire less. 



Biological Laboratory at Cold Spring. 



The Biological Laboratory of the Brooklyn 

 Institute at Cold Spring Harbor, L. I., aims 

 first at instruction. Each year a course 

 has been given there in elementary system- 

 atic zoology, adapted both to teachers whose 

 knowledge of elementary zoology is not 

 great, and to students of higher institutes 

 who seek a practical study of marine forms. 

 A botanical department was organized in 

 1893. More advanced courses have been es- 

 tablished, and lessons were given last sum- 

 mer on comparative embryology. A course 

 in bacteriology is given by the director. 

 Original investigation is provided for in pri- 

 vate rooms for research, and most of the 

 Board of Instruction and others who have 

 been present from time to time have been 

 engaged in personal work in that line. In 

 addition to the regular work of the school, 

 evening semi-popular lectures are given to 

 the students and to attendants from the 

 neighborhood. During the last year a de- 

 partment was started for supplying speci- 

 mens of the common types of marine life to 

 colleges and schools. 



Lord Rayleigh on Waves. In a lecture 

 at the Royal Institution, on waves of water, 

 Lord Rayleigh said that in such waves the 

 velocity is not independent of the wave length 

 (or distance from crest to crest) as it is in 

 the case of sound waves, but the long waves 



