542 
NATURE 
[APRIL 7, 1904 
ture of wooden piling was erected in order to provide a dry 
floor. The ornamentation on the pottery and other evidence 
point to the Neolithic age as the period during which the 
sites were in use. 
An article on the structure of the Upper Cretaceous 
turtles of New Jersey is contributed by Mr. G. R. Wieland 
(Amer. Journ, Sci., February). The genera Adocus, 
Osteopygis and Propleura are described and figured. 
Tue Hurricane Fault in the Toquerville district of Utah 
furnishes a theme for an essay on the effects of faulting on 
the scenery in the region of the Grand Canyon; it is written 
by Messrs. E. Huntington and J. W. Goldthwait (Bull. 
Museum Comp. Zool., Harvard Coll. Geol. Series, vi., No. 
5, February). 
We have received the report of progress for 1903 of the 
University of Texas Mineral Survey, which 
direction of Mr. W. B. Phillips. The work is carried on 
with especial reference to economic geology. Attention is 
directed to the study of the clays of Texas, by Dr. H. Ries. 
Under a plan of cooperation with the Texas World’s Fair 
Commission, Dr. Ries examined the chief clay producing 
districts in the State, and as a result there will be exhibited 
at St. Louis samples of the clays, to each of which will be 
attached a card giving the locality, chemical composition 
and physical characters, such fusibility, plasticity, 
strength, colour on burning, proper temperature for burn- 
ing, suitability for various purposes, &c. 
is under the 
as 
AN interesting essay on periodic migrations between the 
Asiatic and the American coasts of the Pacific Ocean is 
contributed by Mr. J. P. Smith (Amer. Journ. Sci., March). 
It is shown that the living faunas of the Japanese province 
and of the western coast of North America are rather closely 
allied with a large number of species in common, and they 
live under approximately the same conditions. Between 
them there lie the southern shores of Alaska and the Aleutian 
Islands, interrupted by the deep channel east of amchatka, 
and in this region the warm Japan current is met by the 
cold current from the Bering Sea, whereby the Alaskan 
waters and those along the shores of California are 
tempered. At present the migration of shallow water species 
is stopped by the depth of the channel-at the end of the 
Aleutian chain, and also by the cold water which extends 
south-westward from Bering Sea. <A rise of 200 metres 
would close Bering Sea, cutting off the Arctic waters, and 
providing a broad land bridge between Alaska and Siberia. 
An uprise of this, or of greater extent, in recent geologic 
times would allow of the intermigration of marine 
Mollusca between the Japanese area and that of western 
America, and this is the only explanation of the present 
distribution of most of the species that are common to the 
two regions. By such changes we can understand the 
history of the past faunas, which do not form a genetic 
series, but rather one showing periodically diverse origin 
and characters. Thus the faunal relations between western 
America and eastern Asia from the Trias to the present 
were the same, Asiatic facies alternating with periodically 
recurring invasions of the Boreal type. It is concluded, 
therefore, that there is no presumption against the con- 
temporaneity of similar species in widely separated regions 
in the past. 
ALL the volumes of the first annual issue of the ‘‘ Inter- 
national Catalogue of Scientific Literature ’? have now been 
published, and the volumes of the second annual issue are 
appearing. The first catalogue of zoological literature is 
NO. 1797, VOL. 69 | 
in two parts—one an authors’ and the other a subject cata- 
logue—and they are concerned with the publications of 1901. 
Of the second issue, we have received the volumes dealing 
with mechanics, physics, astronomy and bacteriology. The 
volumes can be obtained from Messrs. Harrison and Sons, 
St. Martin’s Lane, W.C. 
Tue second number of The Central—the magazine of the 
old students’ association of the Central Technical College— 
contains several articles of practical value. Profs. W. C. 
Unwin and A. G. Ashcroft describe the engineering course 
and laboratories at the college, Mr. R. S. Dahl gives an 
account of the design of small motors, Mr. J. M. Donaldson 
contributes an article on electric power in the City of 
Montreal, and the work of Dr. T. M. Lowry and Dr. E. F. 
Armstrong on the mutarotation of glucose is briefly de- 
scribed. A photogravure of Prof. Henrici forms the frontis- 
piece of the number. 
Tur additions to the Zoological Society’s Gardens during 
the past week include a Green Monkey (Cercopithecus calli- 
trichus) from West Africa, two Bare-eyed Cockatoos 
(Cacatua gymnopis) from South Australia, presented by Miss 
Hester Forshaw; a Hairy-footed Jerboa (Dipus hirtipes) 
from Egypt, presented by Mr. A. Lethbridge; a Shining 
Weaver-bird (Hypochera nitens), a Common Waxbill 
(Estrelda cinerea) from West Africa, an Orange Weaver- 
bird (Euplectes franciscana), three African  Silver-bills 
(Munia cantans) from North-east Africa, three Banded Grass 
Finches (Poéphila cincta) from Queensland, four Amaduvade 
Finches (Estrelda amandava) from India, a Fire-tailed Finch 
(Erythrura prasina) from Java, a Red-headed Weaver-bird 
(Foudia madagascariensis) from Madagascar, presented by 
Mrs. M. Summers; a Potto (Perodicticus potto), an African 
Civet Cat (Viverra civetta), two Crowned Cranes (Balearica 
pavonina), a White-throated Monitor (Varanus albigularis) 
from Lagos, presented by Dr. McFarlane; a Loggerhead 
Turtle (Thalassochelys, careita) from tropical seas, de- 
posited; an American Flying Squirrel (Sciuropterus 
volucella) from North America, a Boatbill (Cancroma 
cochlearia) from South America, purchased. 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 
OBSERVATIONS -OF ERros.—In one of the papers included 
in the Decennial Publications of the University of Chicago 
Prof. E. E. Barnard publishes the results of the micro- 
metrical observations of Eros made at the Yerkes Observ- 
atory with the 4o-inch refractor during the opposition of 
1900-1901. After describing the methods of observation and 
discussing the errors, he gives, in tabular form, the details 
of each of the 7500 individual ‘‘ settings ’’ made during the 
series of observations. He also gives the results of a set of 
observations which were made during 1898 and 1900, but 
have not previously been published. 
At the time these measures were made the oscillations of 
the magnitude of Eros had not been recognised, but on 
looking through the records Prof. Barnard discovered that 
the planet had often been compared, in regard to its bright- 
ness, with the reference stars, and he therefore appends the 
actual notes regarding the relative magnitude which were 
made during the period September, 1898, to January, 1901, 
inclusive. 
Orsit OF THE Minor Prianer Cuicaco (334).—Another 
paper of the Decennial Publications (Chicago) contains a 
discussion of the orbit of the minor planet (334) by Prof. 
Kurt Laves. In the introduction the author discusses the 
minor planets of the Hilda type in regard to their “ libra- 
tion,’’ and gives, in algebraical form, the inequality which 
is the criterion of the existence of libration in the orbits of 
these bodies. He then discusses the development of the 
