Vol.. XXIV. No. 6.] 
POPULAR SCIENCE NEWS. 
91 
document, which should be attentively read by all 
zoologists setting off for some distant scientific 
expedition, in order to learn which points — besides 
those they intend to stud^' — are of general interest, 
and which call for facts and documents supple- 
mentary to those already obtained. Since Darwin's 
views have been made known, many points in 
natural history have acquired a leading interest, 
and those to whicii M. Fischer alludes are promi- 
nent among all for the theory of dispersion, varia- 
tion, and natural selection. M. R. Blanchard's very 
elaborate report is also a very useful one. Unfortu- 
nately, the meeting was not able to discuss it 
thoroughly, ancl in 1892, at the next meeting, the 
discussion is to be resumed. Steps must be taken, 
by a common action of all zoologists of note and 
repute, to prevent some maniacs from constantly 
altering the names of the oldest known species, 
under the pretense that they are revising the group 
or family, as the case may be, and confusing all 
zoological notions. The example has, unfortu- 
nately, been set by a great authority — by Linnieus, 
who renovated the whole nomenclature. The ten- 
dency is now to do away with many of the names 
be has imposed, and to revert to the former ones, 
and it is fair the thing should be done. 
Psychologists will be interested in reading a small 
work by Guyau on the origin of the idea of time, 
and another by Tissie on dreams generally consid- 
ered. Both of these books have been issued by 
Alcan in Paris, who has also published a work by 
Lombroso on criminal anthropology. Lombroso is 
the head of an Italian school of psychologists who 
hold that criminals belong to a definite abnormal 
anthropological type, and constitute a human 
variety. His ideas are but very reservedly accepted 
in France. 
One more book I must signal on modern chemis- 
trv, by A. Trehault, on the comp.nrison of the 
atomic theory with the equivalent notation. The 
author discusses freely the advantages and incon- 
veniencies of both systems, and concludes in favor 
of the atomic notation, as might well be expected. 
II. 
Paris, April 22, 1S90. 
*^> 
[SpLcially Olisirved for I'oputar Stirnee Xeini.] 
METEOROLOGY FOR APRIL, 1S90. 
I TKMl-KHATUKK. 
AVERAOK TllEKMOMETEH. 
At 7 A. M 41.7/ 
At 3 r. M S1.yo" 
At 9 1-. M , 4j.5i' 
Wholu Mmilli ... J 46.7^' 
Seconil Average . . .1 45.92" 
Last 20 Aprils . . . .; 45.0^1° 
Second Average . . . 44.38° 
l..owest. Highest. Range. 
JO- 
30' 
i"' 
3U" 
3S.17' 
' in 1874. 
37-7'° 
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50.0 1- 
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3'° 
27° 
"244 
12.30 
The month has been warmer than usual, and 
remarkably fair for April. The lowest point reached 
by the mercury, at the hours of observation, was 
30' , on the morning of the 2d and evening of the 
5th. The highest was 72", .gn the 23d. The first 
day was the coolest, with an average of 36.33°; the 
2d was nearly the same. The 24th was the warmest 
day, averaging 63". The 23CL and 30th were also 
warm days. The entire month was 1.69° warmer 
than the mean of the last twenty Aprils, which give 
a ratige of 12.44', as shown above. The lowest 
daily range was only 2", on the 9th ; the highest 
24^', on the 6th. The excess of heat since January 
I has been 503°, a daily mean of 4.19" — a remarka- 
ble excess for the first third of the year. 
SKV. 
The face of the sky, in 90 observations, gave 63 
fair, only 5 cloudy, 16 overcast, and 6 rainy, — a per- 
centage of 70 fair, the highest in the last twenty Mass. 
Aprils. The average fair in April has been only study. 
4S.5, with extremes of 32.2 in 1S7S, and 70 in 1890 
and 1S72. The sky was (air, almost without inter- 
ruption, from the nth to the 23d; — remarkable for 
showery April. 
PRECIPITATION. 
The amount of precipitation the past month, 
including 2 inches of melted snow, (which fell on 
the first morning), was 2 66 inches, while the aver- 
age for the last twenty-two Aprils has been 3 87 
inches, with extremes of 1.20 in 1869, and 850 in 
1870. There was no trace of rain from the loth to 
the 24th. The largest amount at one time was .95 
inch, on the 27th; nearly the same amount fell on 
the 9th. The amount since January i has been 
9 56 inches, which is a little above the mean 
(19 02) for those four months. 
PRESSURE. 
The average pressure the last inonth was 30 044 
inches, with extremes of 29.53 on the 9th and loth, 
and 30.38 on the 2d and 26th, — a range of .85 inch. 
The average for the last seventeen Aprils has been 
29.904, with extremes of 29.767 in 1884, and 30.078 
in 18S6, — a range of .311 inch. The sum of the daily 
variations was 6.10 inches, giving an average daily 
movement of .203 inch. This average the last 
seventeen Aprils has been .178, with extremes of 
.139 and .239. The barometer has been unusually 
high for April, in harmony with the usual fair sky 
in such connection. The largest daily movements 
were .51 inch on the 4th and 5th, and .42 on the 9th 
and 27tli. 
WINDS. 
The average direction of the wind the past month 
was W. 41° i' N., ornearly N. W., which is a very 
near average of the last twenty-one Aprils, viz., 
\V. 40"-' 50' N. The extremes have been E. 15° N. 
in 1877, and W. 9" 35' S. in iSSo, — a range of 114" 35' 
from a near N. by E. to W. by S., or nearly ten 
points of the compass. 
In general, the present April has been dis- 
tinguished for a fair sky and high pressure, for 
small precipitation and moderately high tempera- 
ture, which, in connection with a remarkably warm 
winter, has given us a spring about one week earlier 
than the average for the last eleven years. That in 
1886 is the only one earlier than the present. Those 
in 18S3, '84, and '85 were ten or twelve days later 
than the present. 
COMPARATIVE METEOROl.OCi V OF NEW ENGLAND 
FOR MARCH, 1890, 
gathered from the Jiiiltetin of the New England 
Meteorological Socitty. The temperature and pre- 
cipitation are presented in the following table. State 
by State, with that of all combined, under the title 
of New England. That of Natick is also subjoined. 
The average temperature of March, at twenty-four 
stations in New England, having records of over ten 
years, is 3 17'^; that of Natick for twenty years is 
32 57". Departures, .9° below and 1.81° above. 
The warmest station in New England was at Salem, 
Mass., 39 3°; the coolest 20", at West Milan, N. II. 
The highest daily point was 73 ", at Taunton, Mass., 
on the 13th ; the lowest — 22*^, at West Milan, on the 
4th ; — a range for March of 95". The greatest pre- 
cipitation reported in New England was 10.31 
inches, at Fall River, Mass. ; the least was 2.54 
inches, at Northfield, Vt. The mean precipitation 
for March at thirty-two stations in New England, 
having records for more than ten years, is 4.04 
inches; that at Natick in twenty-two years is 5.52 
inches; — showing departures the present March 
of -t-2.24 and +4 38 inches. Only two stations in 
New England reported a higher precipitation than 
Natick, viz., P'all liiver, 10.31 inches, and Plymouth, 
10.14 
inches. The table will bear careful 
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D. W. 
[Specially Computed for Popular Science Newx,} 
ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR 
JUNE, 1S90. 
On the morning of June 3 there will be a lunar 
appulse. The moon will approach very close to the 
shadow of the earth; but, owing to the uncertainty 
of the effect of the earth's atmosphere on the size of 
the shadow, it is doubtful whether the moon will 
be even partially eclipsed. The time of nearest 
approach is about 2 A. M., Eastern Standard time. 
There will be an annular eclipse of the sun on June 
17, which will be invisible in the I'nited States. 
The moon is so far from the earth relative to the 
sun, that its apparent diameter is less than that of 
the sun. The path of annularity begins in the 
Atlantic Ocean, a little north of the equator, runs 
through Northwestern Africa, the Mediterranean, 
and Asia, ending in Siani. The eclipse will be par- 
tial throughout Europe. 
Mercury is a morning star throughout the month, 
and comes to greatest western elongation, 22"^^, on 
June 23. It will not be in very good position for 
observation, however, owing to the fact that it is- 
south of the sun at the time,,and it probably cannot 
be seen before sunrise. Venus is slowly increasing 
in distance from the sun, and is a very conspicuou> 
object in the western sky soon after sunset. At the 
end of the month it sets about two hours after 
sunset. Mars is in fine position for ob.servation. 
It passed opposition on May 27, and it makes itf 
nearest approach to the earth on the night of Junt 
4-5. It will then be about 45.000,000 miles distant. 
At the most favorable oppositions of the planci. 
when it is in perihelion and the earth in aphelion, 
the distance may be less than 36,000,000 miles. 1 1 
is on the meridian, at rather less than 30*-' altitudi . 
about 11.30 P. M. on June i, and at about 9 P. M 
on June 30, and rises about four hours earlier. It i- 
in the constellation Scorpius, and moves westward 
about 7' during the month. On June 12 it passes » 
little south of the second magnitude star IJeli:' 
Scorpii, the distance being about one diameter 01 
the moon. Jupiter rises in the southeast at aboui 
11.30 P. M. on June i, and at about 9 P. M. on Jun.- 
30. It is in the constellation Capricornus, and 
moves westward about 1° during the month. Ura- 
nus is in the constellation Virgo, 2'^ north and i'-.'^ 
east of Spica (Alpha Virginis.) Neptune is in 
Taurus, is a morning star, and is very near the sun 
