May 6, 1898.] 



SCIENCE. 



645 



atory constructed in 1882, primarily for the 

 purpose of taking part in the international 

 scheme of observations of that period, was not 

 especially adapted to the modern requirements 

 of a magnetic observatory, a new building was 

 erected on the same grounds and the old one 

 set aside for special observations. A complete 

 fifteen-year series has been obtained at the old 

 observatory, and the registrations at the new ob- 

 -servatory began on January 1st of this year. 

 Unfortunately, at the very outset of its new 

 <!areer the observatory is menaced by the pos- 

 sibility of disturbance from electric cars which 

 would pass 1,600 meters south of the observa- 

 tory. Professor Cleveland Abbe contributes 

 the first installment of an interesting article on 

 ' The Attitude of the Aurora above the Earth's 

 ■Surface.' His object is to collect some of the 

 numerous observations, calculations and opin- 

 ions bearing on the nature and the attitude of 

 the auroral light. He therefore proceeds, in 

 the present contribution, to give a chrono- 

 logical summary, beginning with Halley and 

 ending with Young. Professor Schuster fol- 

 lows, writing : ' On the Investigation of 

 Hidden Periodicities with Application to a sup- 

 ^losed 26-Day Period of Meteorological Phe- 

 nomena.' He undertakes to introduce scientific 

 precision into the treatment of problems which 

 involve hidden periodicities, and to apply the 

 theory of probability in such a way that it may 

 be possible to assign a definite number for the 

 probability that the effects found by means of 

 the usual methods are real, and not due to acci- 

 dent. An extract from Professor Riicker's re- 

 cent lecture on ' Recent Researches on Terres- 

 trial Magnetism,' exhibiting the intimate rela- 

 tionship between the geological and the mag- 

 netic constitution of Great Britain is next given. 

 Mr. Putnam contributes an interesting ' Note 

 in Regard to Magnetic Disturbances on St. 

 •George Island, Bering sea.' In a 'Letter to 

 Editor,' W. van Bemmelen gives an account of 

 his recent researches respecting old magnetic 

 ■observations. 



We have received the number of the Journal 

 ■of the Institute of Jamaica issued on the 28th of 

 March. It contains an account of the meetings 

 of the Institute — which includes literature and 

 art as well as science — and a number of papers. 



Among these may be mentioned a life history of 

 some Jamaica Hesperiidte, by Mr. E. Stuart Pan- 

 tin, which was awai-ded the Institute's prize for 

 the most valuable research on the natural his- 

 tory of Jamaica. There is also a paper on the 

 Actinaria of Jamaica, by Mr. J. E. Duerden, the 

 curator of the museum of the Institute, who 

 also contributes several science notes. 



The May Century contains several articles of 

 scientific interest. It appears in a special cover, 

 printed in gold and colors, after a design by 

 Fernand Lungren, representing the great mesa 

 of Katzimo. This is apropos of an article in 

 the number by Mr. F. W. Hodge, of the Eth- 

 nological Bureau, describing his recent 'Ascent 

 of the Enchanted Mesa.' Mr. Hodge gives the 

 evidence he has discovered, already reported in 

 this Journal, for the truth of the old Ancoma 

 tradition that the mesa was once the site of a 

 Pueblo settlement. The article is illustrated 

 from photographs and with pictures by Mr. 

 Lungren, who also contributes a supplement 

 article, ' Notes on Old Mesa Life.' Professor 

 Trowbridge contributes an important article, 

 illustrated from photographs, on the X-rays. 

 Professor Louis Boutan, of the Sorbonne, gives 

 an account of his successful experiments in 

 ' Submarine Photography,' and there are repro- 

 ductions of several photographs taken under 

 the sea at various depths, including one made 

 by artificial light. An article by Mr. Oscar 

 Chrisman on ' The Secret Language of Child- 

 hood ' is based on contributions made by him 

 him to Science. Partly scientific in character 

 are also the articles by Professor B. I. Wheeler 

 on ' The Great Pyramids of Egypt,' and by Mr. 

 F. B. Locke on ' Railway Crossings in Europe 

 and America.' 



The Annales d^ ilectrobiologie d' electrotherapie 

 et d' electrodiagnostic is a new bi-monthly jour- 

 nal published since the beginning of the present 

 year by M. Alcan, Paris, with Dr. E. Dourner, 

 as editor-in-chief and an editorial committee 

 including MM. d'Arsonwal, Tripier, Apostoli 

 and Oudin. The two issues that have appeared 

 extend the first volume to 286 pages, and con- 

 tain numerous articles and full bibliographies. 

 The subscription price for America is 28 fr. 



The issue of the New York Independent for 



