LITERARY NOTICES. 



117 



Anncal Report of the Xew York Me- 

 teorological Observatory (1877). By 

 D. Draper, Director. Pp. 32. 



An important feature of this report is 

 Mr. Draper's remarks upon the rainfall of 

 New York City. It has been found by ob- 

 servation that there was an increase of rain 

 from the date of commencing the observa- 

 tory records till 1869, and after that year a 

 steady decrease. The question now arises, 

 "Does the rainfall of New York still dimin- 

 ish, will it continue to do so, and does this 

 variation occur in the early or late por- 

 tion of the year ? " To which the author re- 

 plies that from his study of the subject " it 

 appears that the rainfall of this city will 

 most probably continue to decrease by 

 fluctuations for several years to come, and 

 that the variations are nearly the same in 

 the two portions of the year." 



The Former and Presext Ncmber of our 

 IxDiANS. By G. Mallery. From " Pro- 

 ceedings of the American Association." 

 Pp. 27. 



Some Common Errors respecting the 

 North American Indians. Same au- 

 thor. From " Bulletin of the Philo- 

 sophical Society of Washington." Pp. 6. 



The errors here exposed and corrected 

 by Mr. Mallery have regard first to the color 

 of the aborigines : they are not " red," nor 

 "copper-colored." Their real prevailing 

 color is brown. Second error : the opinion 

 that the Indian believes in a " Great Spirit." 

 Their common religious system is "poly- 

 demonism." Third error: that the abo- 

 riginal race is rapidly becoming extinct ; 

 the author holds that they are rather on 

 the increase. 



Opening of the Lewis Brooks Museum. 

 At the University of Virginia, June 

 27, 1878. Richmond: Printed by or- 

 der of the Board of Visitors. Pp. 60. 



The University of Virginia is indebted 

 to the late Lewis Brooks, of Rochester, New 

 York, for the fine Natural History Museum — 

 building and specimens — which was opened 

 during the present year. The pamphlet 

 before us gives a brief history of the found- 

 ing of the institution, and contains an ad- 

 dress on " Man's Age in the World," by 

 James C. Southall, author of the work en- 

 titled " Epoch of the Mammoth." 



Deep-Sea Soundings. A Lecture by Lieu- 

 tenant-Commander T. F. Jewell, U. S. 

 N., Claremont, N. II. : Manufacturing 

 Company print. Pp. 63. 



The first material improvement made in 

 deep-sea sounding instruments was the em- 

 ployment, by Lieutenant Walsh, U. S. N., 

 of a steel wire in place of a hempen cord; 

 that was about thirty years ago. Since 

 then sounding has received much attention 

 from naval officers and scientific men, and 

 so numerous are the devices contrived for 

 the purpose of exploring the bottom of the 

 sea, that the author of the above-named 

 address finds it necessary, with a view to 

 presenting a clear history of the subject 

 within the ordinary limits of an evening 

 lecture, to confine himself to the achieve- 

 ments, in this field, of our own countrymen. 

 From a perusal of the address, it is seen 

 that American inventive genius has played 

 i an important part in the improvement of 

 sounding-instruments. 



PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED. 



Parks and Gardens of Paris considered in 

 Relation to the Wants of other Cities and of 

 Public and Private Gardens. By VV. Robinson. 

 F. L. S. Witb numerous Illustrations. New 

 York: Macmillan. Pp. 572. .$7.50. 



American Ornithnlotry ; or. The Natural His- 

 tory of the Birds of the United States. By Alex- 

 ander Wilson and Charles Lucian Bonaparte. 

 Illustrated with Plates engraved from Drawings 

 from Nature. Philadelphia : Porter & Coates. 

 Three volumes in one. Pp. 11T8. $7.50. 



Life of George Combe, Author of " The Con- 

 stitution of Man." By C. Gibbon. London : 

 Macmillan. 2 vols. Pp. 335 and 404. $8. 



A Candid Examination of Theism. By Physi- 

 cus. Boston : Houghton, Osgood & Co. Pp. 

 215. $2.50. 



What i« the Bible? By J. T. Sunderland. 

 New York : Putnams. Pp. 1^9. $1. 



Goethe : Faust— Erster Theil. Edited, with 

 an Introduction and Notes, by J. M. Hart. Same 

 publishers. Pp. 257. 11.25. 



The Ethics of Spiritualism. By H. Tuttle. 

 Pp. 155. 60 cts. 



Ferns in their Homos and Ours. By J. Rob- 

 inson. With Plates and M'oodcuts. Salem : S. 

 E. Cassino. Pp. 194. $1.50. 



Evolution evolved. A Part of "The Prob- 

 lems of Hnman Life here and hereafter." By 

 Wilford. New York : Hall & Co. Pp. 133. 50 

 cts. 



Central Ohio Scientific Association. Urbana : 

 Saxton & Brand print. Vol. I., Part 1. Pp. 100, 

 with Plates. 



Geography of Kentucky. By W. J. Davis. 

 New York : Van Antwei-p, Bragg & Co. Pp. 16, 

 with Map and Woodcuts. 



American Journal of Mathematics. Pure and 

 Applied. New York : Sold by Van Nostrand. 

 Vol. I., No. 3. 



Eleventh Annual Report of the Trustees of 



