SEPTEMBEn 7, 18S3.] 



SCIENCE. 



309 



of Balfour's work, and can only enhance the respect 

 which all biologists feel for him. 



[Note. — Since writing this notice, I have learned 

 of the paper since published by Gaffron upon I'eri- 

 patus (Sc/iHeider's Zo(((();/i.'!cAe ()C((ra(/e, i. 33). The 

 original I have not seen, but only a notice in the 

 Bidlonisches centralbhttt, iii. 319. From the latter it 

 appears that G.alYron has independently observed 

 many of the facts discovered by Balfmir, and in some 

 respects has .idded to them. The following is the ab- 

 stract of his description of the heart. "As in the 

 tracheate arthropods, it lies in a special pericardial 

 sinus, completely embedded in a cellular mas.n, most 

 developed laterally. Its walls are perfor.ited by fis- 

 sures, corresponding to the body-segments, ami which 

 must be sought in the upper half of the tube. Along 

 the dorsal median line runs a round cord, which is 

 held (probably wrongly) to be a nerve. The pericar- 

 dial sinus and the body-cavity communicate through 

 numerous oval openings in tlie septum."' | 



CiiAKLEs Sedgwick Mixot. 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 

 Preiirie virarbler in Nevr Hampshire. 



Several seasons ,igo the prairie waibler (Den- 

 driieca discolor Bd.), was found nesting at Northlield 

 in New IIamp>hire, in June I believe, though I can- 

 not give the exact dale. Two of the nests, however, 

 and an egg, are preserved, and pl.ace the identity be- 

 yonil question. 



The locality w.as a high, bush-grown p.asture in the 

 vicinity of a town ; and the nests were pitched about 

 head-high from the ground, in the crotch of a thorn- 

 bush. The birds made no demonstrations at the ap- 

 proach to their haunts, but retired noiselessly, seeking 

 to screen themselves from view. One nest contained 

 three eggs, a second four. They are substantially the 

 same, finely and firmly wrought, cup-shaped struc- 

 tures, with a well-turned rim. In the latter instance, 

 the external depth is 2i inches, the internal 1}; outer 

 diameter 2^, inner 1^. The nest is compose<l essen- 

 tially of bark strippings, Andromeda chiefly, fine 

 grass, and blasted vegetable fibre intermingled, and 

 lined with hairs and the reddish filaments of Poly- 

 Irichum. The exterior is covered with much cobweb 

 silk and some soft compositaceous substance, which 

 serves to compact the whole and secure it in position. 



The egg is pointed at one end, dull white, rather 

 finely and sparsely specked with lilac and marble 

 markings, aggregating in a circle about the crown, 

 measures .08x .50 inches, resembling occasional speci- 

 mens of the chestnut-sided warbler. 



So far as I am aware, there is no previous authentic 

 record of this warbler breeding north of Massachu- 

 setts in New England. F. H. Hekkick. 



Kalmia. 



In your issue for Aug. 17, Dr. Abbott doubts if Kal- 

 mia grows sufficiently large to be used for making 

 spoons. The abundant tiiickets of Kalmia lalifulia, 

 beautiful but troublesome, are among the clearest 

 recollections of my youth in southern New Hamp- 

 shire. This shrub is there familiarly known as 

 ' spoonhunt; ' and its stems, near the ground, are not 

 infrequently three or four inches in diameter. 



C'll.\8. 11. C'uaj<di.ek. 

 RIpon, \Vl8., Aug. 23, 18S3. 



Letters in a surface film. 



Can any one suggest an explanation of the phe- 

 nomenon described below ? 



In a box four feet square, and sunk five feet below 

 the surface of the ground, was a water-meter con- 

 nected with pipes for supplying a factory. Over the 

 face or dial of this meter was a cast-iron cover, on 

 tlffi outside of which the maker's name was inscribed 

 in raised letters. During the spring thaws, the bo.x 

 was half full of surface-water, submerging the top 

 of the meter some eight or ten inches, .\fter a time 

 a greasy film collected on the water, and in this film 

 appeared a counterpart of the raised letters. Tliat 

 it was not a reflection or otlicr optical illusion, was 

 l>roved by carefully introilucing a shovel under these 

 filmy letters, when they were raised and taken out- 

 side of the box, being still visible. 



In the cour.se of a few hours, fresh letters would 

 appear on the surface. A. P. H. 



lioston, Aug. 28, 1883. 



An interesting sun-spot. 



Owing to a misunderstanding, the scale given with 

 the sketch of a sun-spot, in the letter from S. P. 

 Langley and F. \V. Very (Scie.vce, ii. 2(iti), was 





printed too large. We reprofluce the illustration 

 showing the spot, with a corrected scale. — Eu. 



A CRITIQUE OF DESIGN ARGUMENTS. 



A critique of design arguments. A liistorical rerieio 

 and free eraminatinn of the methods of reasoninij in 

 nalurnl llieologi/. By L. E. IIiCKS, Professor of 

 geology in Denison university, Granville, Ohio. 

 New York, Charles Scribn'er's Sons, 1883. 11 -f- 

 417 p. 8°. 



That men can talk al)otit the most .serions 

 )irol)lonis without passion, is certainly sliowu 

 \ty our author, wlio.se caiulor and excellent 

 aitn.s have already been recognized on all 

 hands. For the rest, we must regard the book 

 with mixed feelings. When we undertook to 

 re.ad it. wc did not go forth to see a reed 

 shaken by the wind, nor ijid we find such ; we 

 dill not venture to look for a. prophet, nor did 

 wc find one : but we were prepared for just a 



