212 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. IX. No. 215. 



we believe, exclusively prepared. It was 

 brought to tbe writer's attentiou not long 

 since through his friend Miss Hyatt, the 

 well-known sculptor of Cambridge, who 

 states that it has come into general use 

 among artists during the past few years. 

 It does not appear, however, to have be- 

 come known, or at least extensively em- 

 ployed in natural history laboratories, as it 

 certainly deserves to be. 



The following properties are claimed for 

 plastiline in a circular obtained by the 

 principal dealers in this country, Messrs. 

 L. P. Pastorini & Co., of 1140 Third Ave- 

 nue, New York : 



" It is lighter than clay, does not dry nor contract, 

 and remains firmly attached where it is placed, what- 

 ever be the quantity employed. It will not mildew 

 nor produce any other fungus growth ; will preserve 

 indefinitely the shape given it, its color, and its ad- 

 hesive and plastic properties. Heat or cold, and 

 dryness or moisture o£ the atmosphere, have no effect 

 upon it, whether exposed or hermetically sealed_ 

 Another great advantage is its harmlessness to 

 health. 



"Plastiline is used in exactly the same way as 

 clay. A layer or two ot painters' glue applied upon 

 the wooden framework of the model or base will 

 prevent any absorption of plastiline and greatly 

 facilitate the latter's adhesion. To take the impres- 

 sion of an object and to prevent the composition from 

 adhering to the original, powder the plastiline with 

 pulverized talcum (glove powder). Plastiline does 

 not adhere to the plaster when a cast is made. To 

 insure the easy removal of the latter, simply bathe 

 with water the outside of the plaster cast, when it 

 ■will detach readily.* To give a finer finish to certain 

 parts of the model, the application of a brush with 

 alcohol or spirits of turpentine is recommended." 



Plastiline is supplied in three grades of 

 consistency ; No. 1 being the softest, or 

 about the same as glazier's putty ; No. 2 

 being medium soft, and No. 3 medium hard. 

 For taking impressions of fossils we have 

 found No. 2 very satisfactory, but to render 

 it more plastic one has only to knead it with 

 a little vaseline or sweet oil. The best 



* For taking plaster casts directly from natural 

 objects no better lubricant can be employed than a 

 mixture of vaseline and refined kerosene oil. 



modeling tools are those used by sculptors, 

 which consist of fine iron or brass wire 

 wound evenly about a stiff wire loop and 

 fastened to a short handle. One should 

 always make his own tools, however, tak- 

 ing care to get the coils fine and even. Box- 

 wood spatulas, sand-papered down to a thin 

 edge, or even steel ones, such as plasterers 

 use, are convenient for shaping in the rough. 

 The chief advantages of this compound 

 consist in its non-liability to crack or dry 

 up — hence it retains the most delicate im- 

 pressions indefinitely ; in its durability, as 

 the same material can be used over again ; 

 in the ease with which plaster casts can be 

 taken from it ; and finally in its general con- 

 venience, being always ready for use and 

 not requiring any care. For these reasons 

 we have thought it worth while to bring it 

 more prominently before the notice of nat- 

 uralists. 



C. E,. Eastman. 



SCIENTIFIC BOOKS. 

 The Structure and Classification of Birds. By 

 Frank E. Beddaed, M.A., F.R.S., Prosec- 

 tor and Vice-Secretary of the Zoological 

 Society of London. London, New York and 

 Bombay, Longmans, Green and Co. 1898. 

 Pp. XX + 548, with 252 text figures. Price, 

 $6.00. 



Mr. Beddard is to be congratulated upon 

 having brought to a successful issue a task 

 contemplated, and even commenced, by his 

 predecessors, Garrod and Forbes, and as these 

 by their labors have done much to further the 

 work, and as their note-books have been freely 

 drawn upon, they too may be credited with a 

 share in the finished product. While we may 

 admit that a hand-book on avian anatomy is 

 scarcely so much needed now as it was when 

 conceived by Garrod, the present volume is none 

 the less welcome. The monumental treatise of 

 Fuerbriuger and the detailed work of Gadow 

 are not at everyone's disposal, and there are 

 still ornithologists who, to their sorrow, have 

 failed to acquire that knowledge of German 

 which is now almost indispensable to the orni- 



