NOTES 



M3 



smooth surface. These two types may be 

 considered common all over the world. The 

 third type is the grooved hammer, of the use 

 and distribution of which little is known. It 

 was evidently intended for hafting, and that 

 would interfere with its use as a rubber. All 

 three types vary greatly in dimensions, but, 

 as a rule, the first two are of a size suitable 

 for hand-use for hammering and for rubbing. 

 With these hammers the author believes that 

 other implements were dressed by pecking, 

 and superficial effects were produced which 

 have not been otherwise accounted for, or even 

 remarked. He further goes on to maintain 

 that they had a much more extensive use 

 than has been contemplated, and that many 

 of the Egyptian and the ancient Greek works 

 of art were prepared and dressed with them. 



Curious Feature of the Coal-borings at 

 Manchester, England. — The Manchester coal- 

 field, England, according to an article in 

 Chambers's Journal, is a seat of great activ- 

 ity and advancement. Difficulties have been 

 encountered and overcome there, and depths 

 have been reached, which are not thought of 

 elsewhere in the kingdom. The Ashton 

 Moss mine lies at a depth of about a thou- 

 sand yards below the surface. It presents 

 the curious phenomenon of the boring pass- 

 ing down from one seam of coal to another 

 one four hundred yards geologically higher. 

 This is occasioned by the occurrence of a re- 

 versed fault, by which the seams are thrown 

 into this curious position relative to one an- 

 other. The natural temperature at the bot- 

 tom of the mine, 84° Fahr., is much lower 

 than the theoretical temperature calculated 

 upon by the Royal Coal Commission. The 

 barometer stands three inches higher than 

 at the surface. 



The "Typical American'' Diet.— No- 

 ticing and criticising the paper of N. E. 

 Yorke Davies, in the July number of the 

 Monthly, on The Proper Diet for Hot Weath- 

 er, the Boston Medical and Surgical Jour- 

 nal says that " the ' typical American ' takes 

 an early breakfast, when he indulges freely 

 in fruit, and never omits a first course of oat- 

 meal and milk, cracked wheat, or hominy ; 

 this is followed by dry toast or buttered 

 toast, an egg and a little cold meat or fresh 

 fish, and a cup of coffee sweetened with su- 



gar, not saccharine, which is reserved for 

 the diabetic. He would be glad of cream if 

 it can be obtained. His dinner is the prin- 

 cipal meal, and is always taken near the mid- 

 dle of the day. This is composed of soup, 

 three or four ounces of broiled fish, roast 

 meat, or fowl, from four to six ounces of 

 green vegetables (green peas, green beans, 

 stewed turnips, onions, squash), four ounces 

 of potatoes with meat gravy, with pickles 

 and jelly ad lib. The last course, the apple, 

 custard, or berry pie of our forefathers, 

 doubtless does not deserve all the abuse 

 which has been heaped upon it by our 

 English cousins, especially when it is light, 

 without too much shortening, and with a 

 well-cooked bottom crust. The last meal, 

 the supper, is taken rather early (as soon as 

 six o'clock), and is designed to be a plain, 

 light, substantial meal of bread and butter 

 or tea-rolls, a little stewed fruit for relish, 

 and one or two cups of tea. The ' average 

 American ' seldom eats lunches." 



NOTES. 



Of the value of anthropological research, 

 in one direction at least, Dr. Alexander Mac- 

 alister says that if we should ever rise to 

 the possession of a true appreciation of the 

 influences which have affected mankind in 

 the past, with such a knowledge we should 

 be able to advance in that practical branch 

 of anthropology, the science of education, and 

 to make progress in sociology, a study which 

 does for the community what the science of 

 education does for the individual. 



Among the results of the recent earth- 

 quake in Japan, as described by Prof. Milne 

 at the meeting of the British Association, 

 were the depression of a valley of about 

 nineteen feet and for a distance of thirty 

 miles, thus forming a great geological fault, 

 and the curving of a railway line running 

 along an embankment and bridge in the 

 path of the earthquake. 



The influence of food and surroundings 

 on color was illustrated in a paper at the 

 British Association by Mr. E. B. Poulton, on 

 the colors of lepidopterous larva. Several 

 members of a large brood of caterpillars of 

 the pepper moth were exhibited winch had 

 been reared under different conditions. Those 

 which had been confined among green leaves 

 and twigs became green; those which had 

 had black and brown twigs mingled with 

 their food were brown or black ; while others 

 which had been reared among spills of white 

 paper had made a pathetic attempt to imitate 



