484 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. II., No. .35. 



most like a plague. In its earlier stages it can usu- 

 ally be recognized by the light tint of the larvae, an 

 ashy green, so different from the ordinary color that 

 one may pick out the diseased worms at a glance. 

 These soon become torpid, and commonly die in a 

 few hours. After death, decomposition is peculiarly 

 sudden and rapid. A pale individual, picked out in 

 the evening while still active, at eight o'clock the 

 following morning was dead, blackened, and almost 

 deliquescent, the whole body being reduced to a semi- 

 fluid condition. This Micrococcus multiplies rapidly 

 in beef-broth, rendering the fluid turbid. 



The cultures of these Micrococci are made by the 

 most rigorous use of the modern methods of ' pure 

 culture.' 



Only M. bombycis has thus far been successfully 

 used by Forbes for the infection of healthy larvae; 

 but experiments with the other species are now in 

 progress. Measures are also being taken to learn the 

 length of life of these bacteria when kept in her- 

 metically-sealed tubes, with the expectation that this 

 will furnish a means of preserving and transporting 

 them for practical use, if this should prove to be 

 worth while. 



Forbes Is also experimenting with the various fer- 

 ment-germs appearing spontaneously in organic in- 

 fusions, and has noted the occasional appearance of 

 large numbers of Saccharomyces in the intestines of 

 unhealthy larvae, and of those whose food has been 

 treated with fermenting vegetable infusions. 



NOTES AND NEWS. 



Wb deeply regret to announce the death of Dr. 

 Hermann Miiller, on Aug. 25. Next to Darwin, 

 Miiller has done the most to advance our knowledge 

 of the mutual relations between plants and animals 

 in one of its many phases. Some notice of his life 

 and work will be given in a future number. 



— The boundary-line between Guatemala and 

 Mexico, which, as we announced last week, Mr. Miles 

 Kock has been commissioned to locate, is about two 

 hundred miles in length ; and one or two years will 

 be required to finish the work. Astronomical sta- 

 tions will be established along the line, and topo- 

 graphical and profile maps will be made to extend 

 as far as time and means will permit. If possible, 

 tlie longitude of Guatemala City will be determined 

 telegraphically by connecting with some point on 

 the coast occupied by the U. S. hydrographic party 

 under Lieut.-Commander Davis. 



Mr. Eock has also been commissioned by the 

 Smithsonian institution to collect notes on anthro- 

 pology in the country over which his survey extends, 

 and to photograph whatever archeological ruins he 

 may meet with during the progress of the survey. 

 He sailed from New York on Oct. 1, in the steamer 

 Acapulco. 



— The annual report of the librarian of the public 

 library of Cincinnati for the year ending June, 1S83, 

 has just been issued. The total number of volumes 

 and pamphlets in the library is 149,750. " The av- 

 erage number of books loaned daily for home use 



has been 680. The average number delivered for 

 use in the reading-room has been .379 per day." In 

 tables showing the number of books issued for liome 

 use and for consultation are given percentages for 

 various classes. Fiction heads the list with 81.4% 

 in books for home use, and 2S..3% in the reading- 

 room. Science and arts are represented by only 2.9% 

 for home use, but rise to 24.8% for books consulted 

 at the library. The number of volumes of fiction 

 circulated during the year was 167,678, and of sci- 

 ence and arts only 5,928. In the consulting-room, 

 however, 39,539 volumes of fiction were issued, and 

 •33,916 volumes in science and arts. Though tliese 

 figures show a marked preponderance in the circu- 

 lation of fiction over science and arts, as indeed they 

 do over every other class, the jireponderance is per- 

 haps more apparent than real. As the librarian says 

 in his report, these percentages are often mislead- 

 ing. "They lead the public to believe that a much 

 larger than a true proportion of the work of a library 

 is in the distribution of books calculated to entertain 

 rather than to instruct. Probably not more than 

 one-sixth of the time devoted to a volume of history 

 or of science is devoted to a novel by the average 

 reader; and yet in these figures volumes of history 

 and science count equally with volumes of fiction and 

 juvenile literature." 



In a table ' showing the number and the classes of 

 books used during each month of the year,' we find 

 some interesting figures. More books were used dur- 

 ing the months of January and March than during 

 any other two months of the year. In philology 

 there was nearly a regular increase from month to 

 month from July to January, and a decrease to 

 June. In history, from 1,387 volumes in December, 

 there was an increase to 1,818 in January, decrease 

 to 1,385 in February, and increase again to 1,586 

 and 1,581 in March and April respectively. In geog- 

 raphy and travels, March takes the lead with 1,006. 

 In science and arts the increase is regular from July 

 (2,558) to January (4,656), when the decrease com- 

 mences; and in June we have 2,838. In tl^e totals 

 we find that nearly 40% of the books were used during 

 the months of December, January, February, and 

 March; while only about 28% were used during June, 

 July, August, and September. 



— The latest news from the French deep-sea explora- 

 tions on the Talisman is comprised in a letter from 

 M. Alph. Milne-Edwards, at Teneriffe. Every thing 

 had worked in a satisfactory manner. Many sound- 

 ings had been made off the coast of Morocco, and 

 interesting profiles of the bottom thereby developed. 

 Bottom and water specimens were simultaneously 

 obtained, and the work was even carried on at night 

 by the aid of electric lights. Considerable zoological 

 collections had been made, and the professor was 

 especially devoting himself to the study of their dis- 

 tribution in depth. The cliaracter of the fauna 

 already enabled a tolerable estimation of the depth 

 to be made from an examination of the animals con- 

 tained in any particular haul of the dredge. By the 

 use of extremely large nets, better luck had been 

 secured in the captme of deep-sea fishes Ih.an liad 



