360 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. VII. No. 167, 



Dr. Joor was an enthusiastic collector of South- 

 ern plants. Owing to ill-health he was rather 

 reserved, but his zeal for his chosen pursuit 

 knew no bounds. His collections were made 

 chiefly about New Orleans, southern Louisiana 

 and eastern Texas. Mr. H. von Schrenk ex- 

 hibited some specimens of Smilax hona-nox cov- 

 ered with numerous hairs. These hairs seem 

 to occur on this plant only in dry exposed 

 places. He spoke briefly on the spines of Xan- 

 thoxylum clavi- Hercules, which at first grow on 

 the epidermis of the stem, but are pushed out 

 as the twig grows older by a layer of cork. A 

 new cork layer is added each year, larger in 

 area than the preceding one, so that at the end 

 of a period of years the spine stands at the apex 

 of a cork pyramid an inch or more in height. 

 Mr. Walter Retzer spoke on some features of 

 tricotyledonous plants, exhibiting seedlings of 

 the following plants with three cotyledons : Tri- 

 foliwm repens, Celosia cristata, Cosmos bipinnatus, 

 Ilex DaJioon, Antirrhinum major, Verbena hy- 

 brida, Dianthus chinensis. Four new members 

 were elected. 



Heemann von Schrenk, 



Secretary. 



SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS. 



The American Journal of Science for March 

 contains a short but important paper by Pro- 

 fessor Michelson describing a spectroscope with- 

 out prisms or gratings. With only twenty 

 elements consisting of optical glass 5 mm. 

 thick, the resolving power would be 100,000, 

 which is about that of the best gratings. Pro- 

 fessor Michelson has tried the experiment with 

 seven elements and found that the Zeeman 

 effect could be readily observed. The number 

 contains a paper by Mr. N. H. Darton on ' Geo- 

 thermal data from deep Artesian Wells of 

 Dakota,' read at the recent meeting of the 

 Geological Society of America, and an abstract, 

 entitled ' Auriferous Conglomerate of the Trans- 

 vaal,' by Mr. G. F. Beckerof his paper published 

 in the last report of the U. S. Geological Survey. 



The March number of Appleton''s Popular 

 Science Monthly contains as frontispiece a por- 

 trait of Lord Lister, which is accompanied by a 

 sketch of his life and work. The important 

 series of Lowell Institute lectures on the 



Racial Geography of Europe, by Dr. Wm. Z. 

 Ripley, is completed in the present number with- 

 the 14th part entitled ' Urban Problems.' The 

 first article is an illustrated account of 'The 

 African Sahara by Professor Angelo Heilprin.' 

 The number also contains an account of the St, 

 Louis Academy of Natural Sciences, by Pro- 

 fessor Frederick Starr, and several other 

 articles of interest. 



In addition to the usual articles on Arctic ex- 

 ploration, birds and the Klondike, the popular 

 magazines contain several contributions of in- 

 terest to men of science. Under the title ' A 

 National Seminary of Learning,' Dr. W J Mc- 

 Gee reviews in Harper's the work of the scien- 

 tific institutions and bureaus of Washington as 

 realizing, to a great extent, Washington's wish 

 for a great national university, and in the sam& 

 journal Mr. H. S. Williams continues his series 

 of articles on science, reviewing anatomy and 

 physiology. The second of a series of articles 

 in the Cosmopolitan on the choice of a profes- 

 sion is by Professor E. S. Holden, and reviews 

 the opportunities oifered by science to young 

 men. In this connection may also be mentioned 

 an article in the Homiletic Bevieiv on ' The Value 

 of a Scientific Education for the Pulpit.' 



The School Science Bevieiv, a monthly journal 

 ' devoted to science for the teachers in the com- 

 mon schools,' has begun publication at Gran- 

 ville, Ohio, succeeding The Examiner, of which 

 two volumes had previously been published. 

 The journal is edited by Mr. W. W. Stockber- 

 ger, of the Doane Academy, Granville, assisted 

 by Messrs. E. E. Richards and G. S. Hoskinson. 

 Such journals indicate a growing interest in 

 the study of science in the schools, and have a 

 mission of increasing importance to perform. 



Heeb S. Kaegbe, Berlin, announces the 

 publication, beginning with the present year, 

 of a Jahresbericht ilber die Leistungen und Fort- 

 schritte auf dem Gebeite der Neurologic und 

 Psychiatrie, edited by Drs. Mendel, Flatau and 

 Jacobsohn, with the cooperation of a number of 

 specialists. 



A Dermatologisches Centralblatt, on the usual 

 lines of German Centralblatter, has begun pub- 

 lication from the house of Veit & Comp. Leip- 

 zig. It is edited by Dr. Max Joseph, Berlin. 



