34 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. VII. No. 158. 



eters and thermometers of Richard's construc- 

 tion, and in March, 1893, records were obtained 

 49,000 feet above the earth. In 1894 the Ber- 

 lin Aeronautical Society began similar explora- 

 tions in connection with manned balloons, and 

 in September the exploring balloon Cirrus rose 

 60,000 feet and recorded photographically a 

 temperature 90° Fahrenheit below zero. In 

 December of the same year Berson, of Berlin, 

 ascended alone 30,000 feet, and, at the highest 

 level ever reached by man, observed a temper- 

 ature 54° Fahrenheit below zero. 



Efforts were now made to secure interna- 

 tional cooperation, and the International Me- 

 teorological Conference which was held at 

 Paris in September, 1896, furnished the oppor- 

 tunity to M. de Fonvielle. As stated in Science 

 of January 1, 1897, simultaneous flights of 

 manned and exploring balloons were recom- 

 mended, and in consequence of the successful 

 experiments with kites lifting selfTrecording in- 

 struments at Blue Hill this method of studying 

 the lower air was advised. A commission was 

 appointed to execute these resolutions, con- 

 sisting of Messrs. Hergesell (President), of 

 Strassburg ; de Fonvielle (Secretary) and Her- 

 mite, of Paris ; PomortzeflT, of St. Petersburg ; 

 Erk, of Munich ; Assmann, of Berlin, and 

 Rotch, of Boston. In the first international 

 flight of ' ballons-sondes ' on November 14, 

 1896, balloons were despatched from Paris, 

 Strassburg, Berlin and St. Petersburg, but only 

 the Aerophile from Paris reached a great alti- 

 tude. Three simultaneous flights were made 

 the past year, and the results of these and 

 subsequent ones will certainly elucidate the 

 conditions prevailing through a large extent of 

 the upper air at much greater heights than can 

 be reached by human beings. With these bal- 

 loons only the barometric pressure and the air 

 temperature are recorded, but after several at- 

 tempts to obtain samples of the air at great 

 heights this was finally accomplished with the 

 apparatus of Cailletet carried by the Aerophile. 



The chapter on the theory of a ballon-sonde, 

 and the effect of temperature on the height to 

 which one will rise, presents simply and clearly 

 some important facts and formulte. In closing 

 this review it may be well to point out a few 

 typographical errors. On pages 16 and 17 the 



words ' en papier ' evidently should be omitted 

 from the heading of the table, since balloons of 

 goldbeaters' skin are included ; in the same 

 table the date 1862 should be 1892 and ' tem- 

 perature maxima ' should be ' temperature 

 minima ; ' in the heading of the table on pages 

 88 and 89 the words ' en sole sp6ciale ' should 

 be omitted for the reason stated above. 



It is proposed to hold a meeting of the Inter- 

 national Aeronautical Commission next Febru- 

 ary, to consider plans for a more extended 

 exploration of the atmosphere. As yet ex- 

 ploring balloons have not been employed in 

 the United States, but the development of the 

 kite in this country has proved it to be the best 

 agent for studying the meteorological conditions 

 of the lower ten thousand feet of free air at 

 definitely determined heights. In fact, the rec- 

 ords of temperature and humidity obtained with 

 kites 11,086 feet above Blue Hill probably ex- 

 ceed in altitude any balloon observations on 

 this side of the Atlantic, while the proposed 

 use of kites by the Weather Bureau to obtain 

 data for daily synoptic charts of the condi- 

 tions a mile above the earth's surface may 

 result in improving the weather forecasts. 



A. Lawrence Rotch. 



Volcanoes of North America : A Reading Lesson 

 for Students of Geography and Geology. By 

 Israel C. Russell, Professor of Geology, 

 University of Michigan ; author of ' Lakes of 

 North America, ' ' Glaciers of North Amer- 

 ica,' etc. New York, The Macmillan Co. 

 1897. 8vo. Pp. xiv -(- 346. Price, $4.00. 

 In giving to the world a companion volume 

 to his Lakes, and Glaciers, of North America, 

 Professor Russell has laid under renewed obli- 

 gation both the geological student and the- 

 general reader. He is eminently fitted for the 

 discussion of his present theme. His own 

 travels and explorations have made him fa- 

 miliar with the eruptive phenomena of North 

 America, through a wide range of latitude and 

 longitude, and in manifold variety of type — - 

 from the Mesozoic trap sheets of New Jersey, to- 

 the majestic snow-clad cone of Rainier; from the 

 craters of the Mono valley, to the widespread 

 stratum of volcanic dust in the valley of thfr 

 Yukon. To the knowledge gained by personal 



