758 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Bulletin of the Cornell Uniyersity. Yol. 

 i., Numbers 1 and 2. 



Number 1 gives some account of the 

 Morgan Expeditions under Ch. Fred Hartt 

 to the Amazonas country in ISYO-'Vl, and 

 describes the geographical, topographical, 

 and geological features of the Lower Tapa- 

 jos, while Number 2 describes the Carbo- 

 niferous Brachiopoda of Itaituba, on the 

 river Tapajos. 



Assaying i^y the Spectroscope. — This is 

 a paper detailing experiments made in the 

 United States Mint at Philadelphia, by Alex- 

 ander E. Outerbridge, Jr., with a view of 

 ascertaining the possibility of determining 

 the value of metals by the spectroscope. 

 The conclusion arrived at is, that assaying 

 by this means is impracticable. 



Transmission of Consumption. Read be- 

 fore the Maine Medical Association, 

 June, 1874, by A. C. Hamlin, M. D. 



The view taken is, that, by observance 

 of natural law and judi9ious selection in 

 marriage, the ravages of this disease may 

 be lessened ; and the principal conclusions 

 reached are, that persons of consumptive 

 habits should not intermarry, and that con- 

 sumptive mothers should not suckle their 

 infants. 



Contributions to the Geology and Phys- 

 ical Geography of the Lower Ama- 

 zonas, by Ch. Fred Hartt ; and^ The 

 Devonian Brachiopoda of Erere, by 

 Richard Rathbun. 



These two papers give some of the re- 

 sults of the Morgan Expeditions of IS^O-'Yl 

 to the region named. The first is apparently 

 a careful and elaborate description of the 

 features of the Erere-Monte-Alegre District 

 and table-topped hills in Brazil, and of the 

 formation of the strata composing the same. 

 The second describes the fossil remains of 

 molluscous animals discovered in the Devo- 

 nian strata of that region. 



Notes on the Mammals of Portions of Kan- 

 SAS, Colorado, Wyoming, and L^tah. 

 By J. A. Allen. 



This is an enumeration of the families 

 and species inhabiting those sections, and 

 a description of their traits and habits. 



The Reception of Dr. Gould. — In the 

 year 1870 Dr. Benjamin A. Gould went to 

 Cordoba, in the Argentine Republic, at the 

 request of its Government, for the purpose 

 of establishing a national Astronomical Ob- 

 servatory, and of making observations on 

 the constellations of the southern heavens. 

 His recent return to the United States was 

 celebrated in Boston by a reception given 

 to him on the 22d of June last. On that 

 occasion he deUvered an address, narrating 

 the nature of his labors, the difficulties over- 

 come, and the results achieved. The prin- 

 cipal results are, the successful establish- 

 ment of the observatory, the establishment 

 of a national meteorofogical office and sys- 

 tem of observatories throughout the repub- 

 lic, and the compilation of an atlas of the 

 heavens from 10° north of the equator to 

 the south pole, showing every star to the 

 seventh magnitude inclusive. 



Geographical Variation in North Ameri- 

 can Birds. By J. A. Allen. 



This is a paper describing the variation 

 produced in birds by differences of longi- 

 tude and latitude. In differences of latitude 

 variations occur in color, size, and details 

 of structural parts, while in differences of 

 longitude the variation is principally in 

 color. These variations are in some cases 

 so marked, that similar forms have been 

 classed as separate species. 



Transformations of the Common House- 

 Fly. By A. S. Packard, Jr., M. D. 



An interesting history of the changes 

 incident to the life of this common insect. 

 An individual lays about 120 eggs, usually 

 in fresh horse-dung. The egg hatches in 

 about twenty-four hours ; the larva passes 

 through three stages, occupying from five 

 to seven days ; the pupa state lasts about 

 the same time ; and, finally, the perfect fly 

 appears at the end of ten to fourteen days 

 from the time of hatching. 



The Bench and Bar Review. — This is 

 a new quarterly review, devoted to the in- 

 terests of the legal profession, the publica- 

 tion of which was begun with the present 

 year, in Baltimore. The leading articles in 

 the first number are : " The Bar in England 

 and France ;" " The Civil Law : its Nature 



