36 THE AMEKICAN MONTHLY [February, 



be very helpful to their members. Plans should also be formed for the benefit 

 of those who are remote from existing centres. The Agassiz Association, 

 with its general organization and the courses of instruction in mineralogy 

 •carried on by mail by Prof. Crosby, of Boston, and others, has suggested a 

 way in which scattered persons desirous of doing work of permanent value 

 may first instruct themselves sufficiently and afterwards enter upon co-opera- 

 tive work. 



This would include the formation of classes for instruction by some one 

 competent to examine the work and criticise it. The organization might 

 well be made a department of the American Society of Microscopists. By 

 constant communication an interest would be kept up. It is not improbable 

 that such a plan might yield unexpected results. Much work is now done 

 which is not in vain, and yet which is not used. At first only trained ob- 

 servers could contribute results sufficiently trustworthy, but the rest would 

 be in training, and, aside from the pleasure of study, there would- be the ever- 

 increasing ability which must make them in time experts. We learn from 

 the Botanical Gazette that the botanists are agitating a plan for utilizing the 

 energy now wasted by isolated students. Will not some ingenious organizer 

 show the microscopists how they can combine for work.? Will a committee 

 of the American Society of Microscopists prepare a programme of topics for 

 work and circulate it first among the more expert microscopists.'' If leaders 

 can be found to take the work in hand the societies and isolated individuals 

 combined can contribute a vast amount of information on the life or habits 

 of the micro animals and plants, as well as upon geographical distribution, 

 variation in specific form, etc. Other kinds of studies in histology or embry- 

 ology might be made productive ; for instance, in pathology. For the benefit 

 of physicians one department of morbid histology could be formed. May not 

 great general interest and individual improvement result from such a scheme.'' 

 Is is Utopian to hope therefrom for additions to our knowledge in botany and 

 zoology } 



NOTES. 



The American Journal of Psychology is the title of a new journal to be published 

 quarterly by Johns Hopkins University. It will be edited by Prof. G. Stanley Hall. 

 From the well-known character of the Psychical Research conducted at Johns Hop- 

 kins University, as well as from the table of contents of the first number, it is appar- 

 ent that we have here not one more to be added to the list of journals of speculative 

 metaphysics, but an organ of psycho-physics. We heartily sympathize with, and en- 

 dorse, all attempts to improve and spread the new psychology, but are not to be un- 

 derstood as therefore entirely discarding the use of the ' introspective method ;' both 

 are well and should be pursued. We trust that the new journal will not ignore the 

 truth of the old psychology, or desist from attempts to find how much in it is truth and 

 not human error. 



QUERIES. 



O. Can you recommend me a good instrument to be used in mineralogical studies 

 and general use, and say whether monocular or binocular will do the best work with 

 same power ? E. L. 



A. The Bausch & Lomb Petrographical miscroscope, designed from the description 

 of Prof. G. H. Williams, of Johns Hopkins University, is recommended for petro- 

 graphical studies, and it can also be used for general purposes. The Monocular 

 stand is the only one made, and the Model stand is a very good one. — Ed. 



