•818 



SCIENCE. 



LN. S. Vol. IX. No. 232. 



Commercial Organic Analysis. By Alfred H. 

 Allen, F.C, F.C.S. Third edition, illus- 

 trated with revisions and addenda by the au- 

 thor and Henry Leffmann, M.A., M.D. 

 Volume II., Part I., Fixed oils, fats, waxes, 

 glycerol, nitroglycerine and uitroglyceriue 

 explosives. Philadelphia, P. Biakiston's Son 

 & Co. 1899. Pp.387. Price, $3.50. 

 The new editions of Volumes I. and IV. of 

 this excellent work were noticed in Science 

 some time ago. The present part contains only 

 a portion of the matter originally included in 

 the second volume, the discussion of the hydro- 

 carbons and their immediate derivatives being 

 reserved for the second part of the same volume. 

 The more important additions to this part are : 

 the bromine thermal method, methods for the 

 determination of glycerol, acetyl number, vari- 

 ous tests for oxidation of oils, composition and 

 official methods for examination of dynamites 

 and smokeless powders, degras and cloth oils. 

 The standard character of the work is so well 

 known that any detailed criticism is unneces- 

 sary. The revision has been well done and the 

 book gives a good account of the present state 

 of knowledge in what must be acknowledged as 

 one of the most difficult as well as important 

 fields of analytical chemistry. 



W. A. NOYES. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



I Sogni. Sante de SANCTIS. Torino, Fratelli Bocca. 

 1899. Pp. 390. 



Geometrical Drmcing for Army and Navy Candidates 

 and Public School Classes ; Vol. 1. , Practical Plane 

 Geometry. Edmund C. Plant. London and New 

 York, The Macmillan Company. 1899. Pp. xiv + 

 185. 



Poems of Nature and Life. John Witi Eandall. 

 Edited by Francis Ellingwood Abbot. Boston, 

 Ellis. 1899. Pp. 556. 



The 3Ialang of Hawaii, a Sttidy in Social Evolution. 

 AV. F. Blackman. New York and London, The 

 Macmillan Company. 1899. Pp. xii + 266. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES — 

 SECTION OF GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY. 



The section met on May 15, 1899, Dr. A. A. 

 Julien presiding. The following program was 

 then offered : 



1. Arthur Hollick : ' A Reconnoissance of the 

 Elizabeth Islands, Mass.' 



2. W. Goold Levison : ' Several Notes on Mi- 

 croscopical Attachments and Photography of 

 Minerals.' 



3. Heinrich Ries : ' Preliminary Notes on the 

 Physical Properties of Clays.' 



Another paper announced in behalf of Pro- 

 fessor J. C. Smock, State Geologist of New 

 Jersey, on ' Artesian Water Supply in New 

 Jersey,' was postponed on account of sickness 

 and absence of the author. 



The following is an abstract of Dr. Hollick' s 

 paper on the Elizabeth Islands, which was 

 illustrated by specimens, photographs, sketches 

 and charts . 



The Elizabeth Islands extend in a southwest- 

 erly direction from Wood's Holl, Mass., forming 

 the barrier between Buzzard's Bay, on the 

 north, and Vineyard Sound, on the south. 



The principal islands are five in number, and 

 beginning at the eastern end of the group they 

 are known as Naushon, including Nonamessett, 

 Uncatina, Pine Island, Buck Islands and the 

 Weepeokets ; Basque ; Nashaweena ; Penikese, 

 including Gull Island, and Cuttyhunk. 



Little or nothing has been written in regard 

 to them for the reason that each island, with 

 the exception of Cuttyhuuk, on which there 

 are a number of separate holdings, belongs to 

 some one individual, family or corporation ; 

 hence there is no line of public travel to or 

 through them and no house of public entertain- 

 ment, except in connection with Cuttyhunk. 

 The trip occupied a week and was made possible 

 through the courtesy and kindness of the 

 owners. 



Taken as a whole the islands represent a par- 

 tially submerged morainal ridge, which has be- 

 come separated into islands and isolated from 

 the mainland in recent geologic times. They 

 apparently represent a later, more northern 

 branch of the terminal moraine, the southern 

 or older portion of which is represented by 

 Moutauk Point, Block Island and Martha's 

 Vineyard. 



One of the most interesting discoveries was 

 an exposure of plastic and lignitic clay, pre- 

 sumably Cretaceous in age, on the south side of 

 Nonamessett. The proximity of this locality 



