June 2, 1899.] 



SCIENCE. 



187 



DISCUSSIOX AND CORRESPONDENCE. 

 THE TELEPATHIC QUESTION. 



To THE Editor of Science : When a scieu- 

 tiflc discussion degenerates into protest and im- 

 putation of motive it is probablj' time for the 

 discusion to stop. But I wish to state, in self- 

 defence, that I do not ' seek to leave upon the 

 reader's mind' the two impressions to which 

 Professor James refers. I do not say that Leh- 

 mann first considered whispering ; I say that he 

 was the first thoroughly to investigate it. There 

 is a difference. I do not imply that Lehmann 

 introduced number-habits ; I say that the next 

 step in advance beyond him is an exhaustive 

 study of number habits. Again, there is a dif- 

 ference. 



E. B. TiTCHENER. 



CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. 

 climatic changes ON THE PACIFIC COAST." 



In the National Oeographic Magazine for May 

 the question of climatic changes on the Pacific 

 coast is discussed by J. B. Leiberg, under the 

 title : '/s Climatic Aridity impending on the 

 Pacific Slope? The Testimony of the Forest.'' 

 The most important results of the study are as 

 follows : The arid, non-forested plains of 

 eastern Oregon yield silicified remains of arbo- 

 rescent vegetation nearly or quite identical with 

 existing species on adjacent areas, thus proving 

 the presence of forest growth on these timber- 

 less lands at no very remote period. On the 

 semi-arid tracts the forest, although consisting 

 of species capable of enduring dry climatic con- 

 ditions, show everywhere a persistent and 

 gradual dwindling in extent and density. In 

 the subhumid forest there is a slow and appar- 

 ently ineffectual adaptative evolution of smaller 

 forms of the various species to replace the 

 larger ones which require more moisture for 

 their growth. In the humid forest the same 

 phenomena are found. So far as the evidence 

 derived from a study of the forest conditions is 

 concei'ned, there seems to be a fairly well defined 

 change of climate in progress on our Pacific 

 coast, from a more humid to a less humid. 



In the same number of the National Geographic 

 Magazine, Ganett, in a paper entitled ' The Bed- 

 wood Forest of the Pacific Coast,' states that 



"everything appears to indicate that for some 

 reason, probably a progressive drying of the 

 climate, the present environment is not favor- 

 able to the growth of redwood, and that with 

 the clearing away of the present forests the end 

 of the species as a source of lumber will be at 

 hand." 



WAVE CLOUDS. 



The formation of waves between difl'erent 

 strata of the atmosphere was carefully studied 

 and described by von Helmholtz. These waves 

 become visible only when clouds are formed in 

 them at those points where condensation takes 

 place, but undoubtedly invisible waves occur 

 very commonly in our atmosphere. The ap- 

 pearance of clouds in parallel lines across the 

 sky is an indication of the presence of atmos- 

 pheric waves. In the Februry number of the 

 Monthly Weather Review, A. J. Henry, of the 

 U. S. Weather Bureau at Washington, presents 

 five excellent views, reproduced from photo- 

 graphs, of alto-cumulus cloud rolls, observed at 

 on November 23, 1898, and on January 27, 

 1899. The views of November 23d are especially 

 interesting as showing the gradual dissolution 

 of the clouds. 



METEOROLOGICAL WORK IN ALASKA. 



The Central Station of the Alaskan Section 

 of the Climate and Crop Service of the Weather 

 Bureau has been transferred from Sitka to Eagle, 

 on the Yukon, near the British line. The Chief 

 of the Weather Bureau h'opes, by this change, 

 to facilitate the establishment of meteorological 

 stations in the region of the upper Yukon, 

 where, owing to poor facilities for communica- 

 tion, it was found impossible to establish such 

 stations when the headquarters of the Service 

 were at Sitka. 



recent PUBLICATIONS. 



Measurement of Precipitation. C. F. Marvin, 

 U. S. Department of Agriculture, Weather 

 Bureau. Circular E, Instrument Division. 

 8vo. V/ashington, D. C, 1899. Pp. 28. 

 A pamphlet of instruction for the measure- 

 ment and registration of precipitation by means 

 of the standard instruments of the Weather 

 Bureau. 



Ninth Annual Report of the Board of Directors of 

 the Neiv Jersey Weather Service, 1S9S. E. W. 



