OCTOBEK 19, 1S83.] 



SCIENCE. 



549 



Atwater and Dr. IliUlretli, — with reference to the 

 occurrence of iron implements in the inoiinils. From 

 these statements, such inferences as the following 

 have been drawn : — 



The mound-builders understood working iron ; they 

 had intercourse with civilized peoples; the mounds 

 were built since the arrival of the whiles, or these 

 iron objects belong to intrusive burials. Now, Mr. 

 Putnam demolishes all these deductions at a single 

 blow, by showing that none of the objects are iron. 

 In other words, Mr. Atwatei's " handle of either a 

 small sword or a large knife " was an antler, in one 

 end of which a hole had been bored, and around this 

 part was a band of silver. The blade was evidently 

 of native, cold-hammered copper. Dr. Hiklreth's 

 silver-plated ear-ornament is duplicated in some of 

 our museums by a kind of plating, first described 

 by Mr. Putnam. In this discussion, some light is 

 thrown upon the spool-shaped copper objects that 

 have been so long a puzzle to archeologists, by the 

 finding of pieces of ' leather ' between the plates, 

 very closely resembling the skin from the ear of a 

 Peruvian mummy. Important discoveries made dur- 

 ing the last year, in mounds in Ohio, by Dr. C. L. 

 Metz and Mr. Putnam, have brought to light a num- 

 ber of copper ornaments, some of which are covered, 

 or plated, with thin layers of silver. The investiga- 

 tion shows us quite conclusively that we are no 

 longer safe in our archeological deductions, except 

 in the hands of a skilful guide. — (Proc. Amer. antiq. 

 soc, ii. 349.) o. T. M. [304 



Aztec music. — Mr. II. T. Cresson has been study- 

 ing the musical instruments of the ancient Mexicans. 

 The huehuetl, or large drum of the great temple, at 

 the ancient pueblo of Tenochtitlan, was covered with 

 the skins of serpents, and when beaten could be 

 heard at a distance of several miles. Clay balls were 

 placed inside of their grotesque clay images, also 

 within the handles attached to their earthenware 

 vessels, which are generally hollow. Some of these 

 rattles in the Poinsett collection resemble the head 

 of Crotalus horridus, and give forth a rattling sound. 

 In this connection Mr. Cresson makes a very sugges- 

 tive observation which we do not remember to have 

 seen before : " It may therefore be supposed that 

 these children of nature noticed and strove to repro- 

 duce sounds, which, however harsh and unmusical to 

 us, to them were pleasing, because they recalled fa- 

 miliar objects." The author thinks he can recognize 

 the Mexican Ilyladae, macaws, parrots, and other 

 bird-calls. A musicil vase is spoken of. Mr. Bar- 

 ber's assertion that the fourth and seventh are want- 

 ting from the dhitonic scale is denied, since, in the 

 Poinsett collection, there exist Aztec flageolets capa- 

 ble of producing not only the fourth and seventh of 

 the diatonic scale, but also the entire chromatic scale. 

 This subject is elaborated at great length. Mr. 

 Cresson thinks that the musicians of our <lay have 

 arrived at a somewhat hasty decision in regard to the 

 music of these ancient people, and its confinement 

 within the narrow limits of a pentatonic scale. — 

 (Proc. acad. nal. sc. Philad., 8fi.) j. w. p. [305 



NOTES AND NEWS. 



The resolution of the American association, offer- 

 ing all the privileges of membership for next year's 

 meeting to the members of the British associa- 

 tion, was received by the latter with much enthu- 

 sliism; and the council of the British association, 

 with which such matters lie, will, it is said, extend 

 a similar invitation to the American association. 

 The Canadian authorities have arranged for such 

 members of the British association as may desire, to 

 take the longer excursions planned for them be/ore 

 their meeting on Aug. 27, ami thus allow tifem to 

 attend the meeting of the American association in 

 Philadelphia, Sept. 3, without losing their excur- 

 sions. It is hoped that at least five hundred mem- 

 bers of the British association, including many leading 

 scientific men, will attend the Montreal meeting; 

 while there seems to be a very general wish, more 

 especially on the part of the younger scientific men, 

 to attend the Philadelphia meeting as well. 



— The following is the list of grants of money, 

 which, according to yature, the British association 

 has granted for scientific purposes for the coming 

 year; amounting, in all, to seven thousand dollars. 

 When may we hope for even the beginning of such 

 a list from the American association, with its two 

 thousand members ? 



A. — Mathematics and physics. 

 Brown, Prof. Crum, Meteorological observations 



on Ben Xevis £.50 



Foster, Prof. G. Carey, Electrical standards . .50 

 Schuster, Prof., Meteoric dust .... 20 

 Abney, Capt., Standard of white light . , 20 

 Scott, Mr, R. H., Synoptic charts of the Indian 



Ocean 50 



Stewart, Prof. Balfour, Meteorological observa- 

 tory near Chepstow 25 



Shoolbred, Mr. J. N., Reduction of tidal ob- 

 servations 10 



Darwin, Prof. G. H., Ilarmonic analysis of 



tidal observations 45 



B. — Chemistry. 

 Odling, Prof., Photographing the ultra-violet 



spark spectra 10 



C. — Geology. 

 Elheridge, Mr. R., Earthquake phenomena of 



Japan 75 



Williamson, Prof, W. C, Fossil plants of Hali- 

 fax 15 



Sorby, Dr. H, C, British fossil polyzoa . . 10 



Prestwicli, Prof., Erratic blocks 10 



Elheridge, Mr. R., Fossil Phyllopoda of the 



paleozoic rocks 15 



Hull, Prof. E., Circulation of underground 



waters 15 



Evans, Dr. J., Geological record ... 15 



Green, Prof. A. H., Raygill fissure . . , 15 

 Prestwich, Prof., International geological map 



of Europe 20 



