44 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [February, 



not on the alert for them. Leidy's Rhizopods now sells for $5 here 

 and $10 in London. Soon it will bring more. When first issued li- 

 braries should have obtained it free. The beautifully illustrated " Fish- 

 ing Industries of the United States " cost over $50,000, and would be 

 put on the market by New York publishers at $10 a volume. This 

 could at first be bought for $2.45, but the Government Printer's stock 

 is about exhausted. Dealers ask $4.50. A few public libraries have 

 it. Others neither asked their Senators for it nor bought it at cost. 

 Many do not to this day know that there is such a valuable work. Each 

 Congressman had but a few copies, which were early exhausted. 



If librarians would ascertain what valuable books and pamphlets are 

 being issued and at once secure copies they would find their scientific 

 collections greatly enriched and at very trivial cost. Our bibliograph- 

 ical lists will help them to hundreds of dollars' worth if they will 

 promptly use the means above indicated. College professors who cannot 

 obtain the publications for their private libraries should remember that 

 the college libraries may succeed where they fail if the librarian's at- 

 tention is promptly called to the matter. 



Professor Hitchcock at Home. — It is a pleasure to announce the 

 safe return from Japan, after an absence of nearly three years, of the 

 founder of this Journal. Prof, and Mrs. Hitchcock arrived in New 

 York by the German line of steamers on January 12th, and came im- 

 mediately to Washington, where they are at present making their 

 arrangements for future work. Before leaving home he was the curator 

 of Textile Fabrics in the United States National Museum, the director 

 of which kindly granted him a furlough. On the way homeward he 

 has paid some very satisfactory visits to the optical establishments in 

 Germany and promises some contributions descriptive of what he saw 

 thei'e. In behalf of many friends whose names are still on our mailing 

 list we welcome Prof, and Mrs. Hitchcock home again, and congratulate 

 them upon having enjoyed what comes to but few of us — a trip around 

 the world. 



Kissing the Bible. — The lips are most sensitive to the reception of 

 disease germs, and from the motley throng of dirty and diseased persons 

 who appear in court and kiss the book, what infectious germs may not 

 be obtained through this medium of distribution ? It would be interest- 

 ing for microscopists to examine such greasy and worn backs of court 

 bibles as they can have access to and to report the kinds and amounts 

 of bacteria found thereon. 



Certainly it is a wise precaution to keep court bibles oft' the lips. 

 Swearing with uplifted hand is not only safer, but more dignified. 



In a Massachusetts school where scarlet fever and measles had pre- 

 vailed some text-books fell into disuse, were put away for a time, and, 

 when wanted, gotten out and re-distributed, several months having 

 elapsed. In but a few days after the re-issue of the books the children 

 began to come down with measles. There can be little doubt that 

 scarlet fever is transmitted in the same way. c. w. s. 



