August 3, 1917] 



SCIENCE 



113 



tussock grass, and that they devour also enor- 

 mous numbers of the smaller species of sea- 

 birds (Tubinares), -which nest in burrows. 



I shall refer again to the rats of South 

 Georgia in two forthcoming papers, one of 

 which is already in type. The following 

 references are to articles by the writer that 

 throw light upon faunal conditions at South 

 Georgia, and the way in which they have been 

 affected by human agency: (1) "A Desolate 

 Island of the Antarctic," Amer. Mus. Journ. 

 XTTT., 242-259, 1913. (2) "A Subantarctie 

 Island," Harper's Mag. January, 1914, 165- 

 176. (3) " Cruising in the South Atlantic," 

 Brooklyn Mus. Quart. July, 1914, 83-110. 

 (4) "A Eeport on the South Georgia Ex- 

 pedition," Sci. Bull. Brooldyn Mus., II., 41- 

 102, 1914. (5) "The Penguins of South 

 Georgia," Sci. Bull. Brooklyn Mu3., II., 103- 

 133, 1915. 



Robert Cushman Murphy 



Department op Natubal Science, 

 Brooklyn Museum 



a personal and family history register 



To THE Editor of Science: In Science of 

 May 16, 1913, the writer called attention to a 

 call made by Dr. J. Madison Taylor in an 

 earUer issue of Science, seeking aid and co- 

 operation in a plan to secure a body of trust- 

 worthy vital statistics, and attempted to em- 

 phasize the crying need of just such a de- 

 sideratum. It is gratifying to know that the 

 aim of Dr. Taylor is now realized, and that 

 imder the above caption he has made available 

 a means by which such data may be intelli- 

 gently compiled and made permanent. The 

 register forms a volume, quarto in size, and 

 well bound, with provisions and directions for 

 recording personal and family traits, history 

 of birth, growth, health, disease, etc., and also 

 blanks for various supplemental data that may 

 be considered desirable in such a history, such 

 ,as photographs, clinical and dental records. 



The volume closes with a timely discussion 

 of subjects relating to human welfare, and in- 

 cludes such topics as The Child as a Problem 

 to Parents, The Building of a Citizen, En- 



vironment and inherited Tendencies, Personal 

 Hygiene, Age and Age Values, Development of 

 the Mind, all of which are presented in terms 

 easily understood, and at the same time with- 

 out sacrificing scientific accuracy. 



The writer welcomes this register as a 

 worthy contribution toward a better under- 

 standing of the importance of human statistics 

 in relation to the imperative necessity of both 

 human conservation and racial betterment. 

 The author has spared no pains, and has evi- 

 dently devoted long and strenuous labor in its 

 production, and the publishers, F. A. Davis 

 Company, Philadelphia, have also done well 

 their part in giving to the book their usual ex- 

 cellence of artistic and mechanical values. 



Charles W. Hargitt 

 Stbacuse University 



rewards for national service 



To THE Editor of Science: The American 

 government has embarked in what will be the 

 greatest war in its history and as such de- 

 serves and demands the unqualified support of 

 its citizens and that every effort be made to 

 secure such services at the minimum cost. 



An effort, I believe, is being made to or- 

 ganize and direct the inventive skill of the 

 American people so as to render victory more 

 certain, save life and property and shorten the 

 conflict. Abroad in many cases such services 

 are rendered gratuitously but the donator in 

 meritorious cases is rewarded by a suitable 

 decoration. This in many case is prized more 

 highly than a monetary reward. 



Since the government is making an effort 

 to secure such expert inventive assistance as 

 practicable, would it not be possible to prevail 

 upon the government to institute such a 

 decoration and if not for the American As- 

 sociation for the Advancement of Science, as 

 the greatest organization competent to repre- 

 sent the consensus of expert opinion to do so. 



SCIENTIFIC BOOKS 



KonchugaTcu Hanron Johwan {General Trea- 

 tise on Entomology). By Dr. T. Miyake. 



