30 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. II., No. 22. 



Two numbers have been issued. The first includes 

 reports of experiments, chiefly with kerosene, upon 

 the insects injuriously affecting the orange-tree and 

 the cotton-plant. The second includes reports of 

 observations on the Kocky Mountain locust and the 

 chinch-bug, together with extracts from the corre- 

 spondence of the division on miscellaneous insects. 



The University of Pennsylvania has conferred 



the degree of M.A. on Professor Lewis M. Haupt, 

 C.E. ; and of Sc.D. on Professor Isaac Sharpless, 

 professor in Haverford college. 



At the meeting of the Royal astronomical society. 



May 11, Professor C. Pritcliard of Oxford gave an 

 account of his recent expedition to Cairo, and of the 

 work on which he has for the last two years been 

 eni^aged; viz., the measurement of the magnitude of 

 the stars visible to the naked eye from the pole to the 

 equator, including at present all those brighter than 

 the fifth magnitude. This work is now complete. 

 He found, that, at Oxford, Laplace's law of alteration 

 of a star's light as measured in magnitude — accord- 

 ing to the secant of the star's zenith distance — did 

 not hold good for zenith distances exceeding 65°, 

 and that for stars at lower altitudes the alterations 

 in apparent magnitude were conflicting and not satis- 

 factory. For the purpose of accurately investigating 

 the effect of atmospheric extinction of light under 

 better circumstances, he chose the climate of Upper 

 Eaypt, where the atmosphere is uniform and stable, 

 as" the proper locality for repeating the Oxford obser- 

 vations, and rendering the research complete. A 

 duplicate set of instruments was left at Oxford in 

 charge of the senior assistant, who observed the same 

 stars with Professor Pritchard at Cairo. The results 

 of both sets of observations are embodied in the 

 formulae, — 



Atmospheric absorption 

 At Cairo = 0.187 X Sec. Z.D. in magnitude; 

 At Oxford = 0.253 X Sec. Z.D. in magnitude. 



Thus the whole effect of the atmosphere at Cairo is 

 to diminish the brightness of stars seen in the zenith 

 by about two-tenths of a magnitude, and at Oxford 

 by about one-fourth of a magnitude. At an altitude 

 of about 30°, the stars at Cairo will be brighter 

 than in England by about one-fifth of a magnitude, 

 and consequently many more faint stars are just 

 visible at Cairo than can be seen at Oxford. 



— Alexander Melville Bell has written a primer, 

 which will soon be published, for use in elementary 

 schools in teaching the methods of visible speech. 

 The book can be used by any teacher without spe- 

 cial training in the peculiarities of the system. 



— A correspondent states that the shortest scien- 

 tific article known to him, and perhaps the shortest 

 ever published, is by William Griffith, in the bulletin 

 of the U. S. fish-commission for 18S2, p. 12, under 

 the title 'Result of planting shad in the Ohio River.' 

 The article contains twenty-six words, and occupies 

 two lines. 



— At the meeting of the Cambridge entomological 

 club, June 8, Mr. S. H. Scudder discussed the homol- 

 ogies of the male abdominal appendages of butter- 



flies, and Mr. G. Dimmock showed a living Buthus 

 occitanus, and described some of its habits. 



— The Argentine government has sent Col. Sola, 

 with a party of two hundred soldiers, to explore 

 the Pilcomayo in its course through the Gran Chaco. 

 The party is accompanied by a delegate of the Argen- 

 tine geographic institute, whose chief object is to dis- 

 cover the remains of Crevaux, and ransom two of his 

 mtn who are reported to be held as prisoners by the 

 Indians. 



RECENT BOOKS AND PAMPHLETS. 



*** Continitatiou-^ and brief papem extracted from serial 

 literature without repagiituHon are not included in this list. 

 E.rcfjttiou.s aye made for annual reports of American insii- 

 tutionfi, newln estat>tished periodicals, and memoirs of con- 

 siderable extent. 



Adam, L. Lea idioraee n^gi-o-: 

 d'hybridologie linguisUque. Paris, 



Ma. 



et maleo-aryen, eseai 

 mnneme, 1S8.3. 76 p. 



Bisson, E. Nouveau compas de raer doonatit la direclloii 

 vraie du mciridien magn^tique sur les navirea en ler. Paris, 

 impr. Chttix, 1883. 20 p., 4 tig. 8°. 



Boutillier, L. Des corallaires k madrepores et de leur 

 action geologique. Roueu. impr. Cagniard, 1SS3. 30 p. 8°. 



Camoy, J. B. Biologic cellulaire ; etude comparee de la 

 cellule dans les deux regnes au triple point de vue, anatomique, 

 cliimique et physiologique. Aaclien, ^a/V/i, 1SS3. 8°. 



Cri^, L. Lee origines de la vie, essai sur la tlore primordiale ; 

 organisation, developpement, aflinites; distribution geologique 

 et geographique. Paris, I>oin, 1883. 79 p., illustr. S". 



Crozals, J. Les Peulhs, etude d'ethnoloeie africaine. Paris, 

 .Vaisonneuse, 1883. 271 p. 8°. 



Desdevises du Dezert, 'l'. Le noyau central et les 

 inarches de la iangue d'oyl. Rouen, impr. Vagniard, 1883. 

 28 p. 8°. 



DuffUlt, L. Quelques mols sur la I'aniille primitive, con- 

 ference faite a Bordeaux, le 16 mars 1883. Paris, /.arose, 188S. 

 32 p. 8°. 



Eisner, F. Recepte fiir pharmifcie and chemische grossin- 

 dustrie. Halle, Knapp, 1883. 9-H216 p. 8°. 



Fabre, J. H. Cours de physique (programmes de 1882). 

 Paris, iJctosmM, 1S83. 304 p., illustr. 18°. 



Ferri, L. La psychologic de rassociation depuis Hobbes.ius- 

 qu'a nos .jours (histoire et critique). Paris, Kaillih-e, 1883. 

 4+382 p. 8°. 



FricerO; A. Considerations diverses sur Tcmploi des huiles 

 minerales lourdes dites oleonaphtes comme lubrirtants. Mar- 

 seille, /m/))-. Gm»£fi', 1883. 12 p. 8°. 



Greer, H. Recent wonders in electricity, electric lighting, 

 magnetism, telegraphy, telephony, etc., N.Y.. Agent Coll. 

 electr. eng., 1883. 16S p., illustr. 8°. 



Guyot, A. Memoir of Louis Agassiz, 1S07-T3. Princeton, 

 Robinxun pr., 1883. 49 p. 8°. 



Instructions relatives a restablissement des pepinieres de 

 vigncB amcricaines. Paris, impr. nat. 1883. .36 p. 8°. 



Le Breton, G-. La ceramique polychrome a glacjures naet. 

 alliques dans I'antiquite. Rouen, impr. Cagniard, 1883. 45 p. 

 8°. 



Leplay, H. Chimie theorique et pratique des industries du 

 Sucre : etude historique, chimique, et induslrielle des jjroc^des 

 d'analyse des matieres sucrees, etc., suivie Je la description d'un 

 nouveau proeede d'analyse chimique induslrielle des matieres 

 sucrees. T. i. P.aris, i,'r(«dw/7i. 1SS3. 28+4.W p. 8°. 



Marin La Meslee, E. L'Australie nouvelle. Paris, i'tex, 

 1883. 12-1-298 p., illustr. 18°. 



Quenstedt, F. A. Die ammoniten der schwiibischen Jura, 

 i. heft, mit ein atlas. Stuttgart, Schweizerbart, 1883. 48 p., 

 illustr. 8°. 



Schneider, A. Zoologische beitriige. i. band, i. heft. 

 Breslau, A>™, 1883. 3+63 p., 12 lith. 8°. 



Tellier, C. Etude sur la thermo-dynamique appliqtiee £k 

 la production de la force motrice et du froid. fasc. i. Paris, 

 impr. Mouitlot, 1883. 7-J-97 p. 8°. 



Thompson, D'Arcy W. A catalogue of books and papers 

 relating lo the fertilization of flowers. London, Macmitlun, 

 1883. (2)+36p. 8°. 



