OCTOBKR 20, 1922] 



SCIENCE 



449 



The 'biologist is ready to receive new evi- 

 dence but it is difficult to see how he can trim 

 known facts to suit the opposition. However, 

 science holds the key to the situation. The key 

 is evolution itself, the evolutionary interpreta- 

 tion of history, especially the religious and 

 literary history of the Hebrew people. This 

 rather than 'biology would quickly become the 

 storm center if it were taught in our high 

 schools. It can not be done at present, but 

 when historical science percolates more thor- 

 oughly into the Sunday schools the opposition 

 to the teaching of evolution will dissolve. In 

 the mean time the 'biologist bears the brunt of 

 opposition because his pupils (or their parents) 

 are not prepared for his message. He has to 

 offer a new interpretation of life, a new basis 

 of ethics, which is in opposition to tradition. 

 He is usually better fitted to discuss and to 

 appreciate the beliefs of the non-scientifically 

 trained man than is the latter to discuss the 

 scientific view, because the biologist has not 

 always been a scientist. The scientist is a 

 trained seeker for truth. His past beliefs, ex- 

 periences and mental conflicts form a valuable 

 intellectual background. The non-seientifically 

 trained person can not claim a similar appre- 

 ciation of the scientific view. The biologist 

 must have something of the spirit of a mis- 

 sionary and if necessary that of a martyr. 

 J. Howard Brown 



Princeton 



TINGITIDAE OR TINGIDAE 



In his discussion of this family name in a 

 recent number of Science, Dr. W. J. Holland 

 has provided us with an excellent review of 

 the philological and nomenclatural faots in the 

 matter, but he fails to mention certain items 

 which have a bearing on the question. 



Some years ago in a review of Van Duzee's 

 "Check List of the Hemiptera" {Psyche, 

 XXIII: 129, 1916), I stated very briefly my 

 reason for adopting the form Tingidce and it 

 seems necessary to bring forward this argu- 

 ment again to the end that nothing pertinent be 

 overlooked in reaching our decision. In connec- 

 tion vrith. his original proposal of the generic 

 name Tlngis, Fabricius ("'Systema Rhyngoto- 



rum," 1803, p. 124) himself uses the genitive 

 Tingis in a foot-note, and accordingly we must 

 adopt the family form Tingidce, unless we can 

 prove that the author was in error regarding 

 the genitive form of his own generic name. 

 When I first considered the question I took into 

 account the facts which Dr. Holland adduces, 

 and I came to the conclusion that we can not 

 be sure that Fabricius did in fact adopt the 

 Greek word TtyYt;, the name of a city; on the 

 contrary, his use of the genitive Tingis shows 

 us ithait he considered the word his own and 

 indicates what its Latin declension should be. 



Until this argument is disposed of I shall 

 consider it necessary to use the form Tingida;, 

 as proposed by Westwood in 1840. 



H. M. Parshlet 



Smith College 



THE VACUUM TUBE AMPLIFIER IN 

 SCIENTIFIC WORK 



The araijliflcation of sound by means of the 

 triode vacuum tube has now passed on from its 

 application to wired and wireless telephony to 

 a means of aiding those of deficient hearing. 

 Its effectiveness is so great that it promises to 

 be to the partially deaf as great a boon as 

 glasses to those optica'Uy defective. The use of 

 the amplifier is sure to expand rapidly in this 

 field, although it will be somewhat impeded by 

 its expense. 



The purpose of this note, however, is to call 

 attention to the application or applicability of 

 a sound magnifier in various fields of scientific 

 work and industry : 



1. For detecting distant underground opera- 

 tions as in mine resoue or military work. 



2. Detecting the approach of a boat, train or 

 automobile before it comes in sight. 



3. Detecting tlie approach of a storm. 



i. As a parallel instrument to the binocular 

 prism glasses of the ornithologist, to detect bird 

 songs too far to be heard distinctly or at all. It 

 is particularly useful in detecting the higher notes 

 that do not carry far and in observing nocturnal 

 migration. 



5. To aid the hunter in detecting sounds of 

 distant game. 



G. In conversation from vessel to vessel or sta- 

 tion to station at shouting distance and a little 

 further. 



