132 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



of Philadelphia, comprises a paper by W. B. 

 Scott, entitled " On some New and Little- 

 Known Creodonts," describing Mesonyx ob- 

 tusidens, Hycenodon horridus, and several 

 other species, with three plates, and a paper 

 by Henry Fairfield Osborn, entitled " On the 

 Structure and Classification of the Mesozoic 

 Mammalia," with two plates, and a number 

 of figures in the text. 



llie Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 

 (Chapel Hill, N. C.) gives evidence by its 

 Journal that its fifth year has been one of 

 activity and progress, and has contributed 

 to the advancement of science in the South. 

 Fifty-five papers have been presented to the 

 society during the past year, dealing with 

 subjects in chemistry, mathematics, ichthy- 

 ology, entomology, meteorology, etc., a large 

 part of which are pubhshed in the " Journal." 

 Eight regular meetings were held during the 

 year, and three public lectures delivered. 



The first number of Insect Life, a peri- 

 odical bulletin of the Division of Ento- 

 mology, United States Department of Agri- 

 culture, appeared in July. It will be issued 

 under the direction of Prof. C. V. Riley, 

 United States Entomologist, and is designed 

 to contain short papers, notes, and corre- 

 spondence, which it is desirable to give to 

 the public without delay, or which would be 

 too disconnected for use in the annual reports 

 or in the special bulletins of the division. 

 The present number contains a variety of 

 information, consisting of descriptions of 

 several noxious insects, notes on the habits 

 of others, and records of experience in using 

 certain insect - exterminators, all of which 

 promises well for the usefulness of the pe- 

 riodical. 



In Feiets about Ireland, Mr. Alexander B. 

 MacDowall presents the condition of Ireland, 

 and the changes it has undergone, in graphic 

 diagrams or by curves (Edward Stanford, 

 London). Under this system, plates are pre- 

 sented showing the relative changes in popu- 

 lation in Ireland, England and Wales, Scot- 

 land, and London, by decades since 1801 ; 

 and the statistics, in Ireland of agriculture, 

 education, emigration, evictions, drunken- 

 ness, crime, consumption of spirits, bank 

 deposits, revenue, value of crops, and occu- 

 pations. Each plate is accompanied by a 

 page of letterpress, calling attention to its 



significant points. The author hopes that 

 these diagrams may prove of some little use 

 in the study of the Irish question. They cer- 

 tainly show at a glance much that it would ' 

 take considerable reading to learn otherwise. \ 



The Colloquia Lalina of Sir. Benjamin 

 DWoge, of the Michigan State Normal j 



School (D. C. Heath & Co.), is a collection 

 of dialogues intended to form the basis for 

 exercises in conversational Latin. It is the 

 outgrowth of methods pursued by the au- 

 thor in his own classes, and most of the 

 dialogues have been tested by actual use. 

 Its purpose is to give greater interest and 

 life to the study, and more thoroughness. 

 The dialogues give the models or forms of 

 expression, after which conversations may 

 be carried on about the subjects, in Latin ; 

 while the notes elucidate the grammatical 

 and idiomatic peculiarities which come un- 

 der notice. 



In Selected Poems from Premiere.s et 

 Nouvelles Meditations (D. C. Heath & Co.) 

 Prof. George 0. Currie has prepared a col- 

 lection of Lamartine's poems, with notes, 

 for schools and classes. The author repre- 

 sented is a poet of the highest merit — " the 

 Christian Virgil, only greater, and just as 

 pure and refined," in the editor's view — and 

 the choice gives a fair test of his quality. 

 Notes are appended, which are both gram- 

 matical and literary in character ; a sketch 

 of Lamartine's life is given ; and an article 

 by Prof. A. Williams, of Brown University, 

 on the " General Character of French Verse," 

 adds to the value of the work as a whole. 



An Iceland Fisherman, by Pierre Loti 

 (New York, Gottsberger), is a story by a 

 French author of rising fame. His real name 

 is Julien Viaud, and he served during the 

 Franco-Chinese War on a French naval ves- 

 sel. The adventures which befell him dur- 

 ing his cruisings in the Oriental seas fur- 

 nished him with materials for many vivid 

 stories and sketches, which proved very ac- 

 ceptable to the public. The present story, 

 though written among more quiet scenes at 

 his home near Rochefort, is marked by simi- 

 lar qualities. The translation is acceptably 

 done by Clara Cadiot. 



PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED. 



Abbott, Charles C. Evidences of the Antiquity 

 of Mnn in Eastern North America. Salem, Mass. : 

 The Salem Press. Pp. 25. 



Adams, Z. B., Bradford, E. H., and "Worthington, 



