OCTOUEU 2(!, lt-S!.J 



SCIENCE. 



;9 



trated acetic or lactic acid ; c, under the influence of 

 carbonic acid at a temperature near boiling; d, by 

 incubation (owing to the action of the CO^ excret- 

 ed by the yollc ? — Hep.). Experimeots left it un- 

 certain whether tlie ordinary albumen first passes 

 through the ' tata ' form. It seems probable that 

 the ' tata-eiweiss' is a sodic or potassic albuminate. 



— {Pflilijer's arch. physioL, xxxi. 36S.) c. s. M. [322 

 Yolkless artificial eggs. — TaroIiaiiolT. in the 



course of his experiments, noticed in the preceding 

 abstract, made fistulae of the oviduct in liens. They 

 bear the operation well, but it causes atrophy of the 

 glands of the oviduct, and apparently of the ovary 

 also. The mature ova ai-e discharged into the body- 

 cavity. Under favorable circumstances, if a ball of 

 amber is introduced into the upper end of the duct, 

 the white with fully developed chalazae, and the 

 membranous shell, are deposited, producing a nor- 

 mally formed egg, in which the yolk is replaced by 

 the amber ball. A h'gaturc prevented the descent 

 of the egg, during the experiment, into that region 

 of the oviduct which secretes the calcareous shell. 



— (Pfluger's aicli. pliyxioL, wi. :)'l'j.) c. s. si. [323 



ANTHROPOLOGY. 



Notes on Nevr Guinea. — By degrees this un- 

 known land is being brought before the scientific 

 world. Mr. W. G. Lawcs, writing from Port Mores- 

 by, describes a visit to the Rouna Falls, accompanied 

 by his wife, the first lady to tread the unbeaten tracks 

 of New Guinea. In the district of Sogere the trav- 

 ellers stopped at several native villages. The one 

 where they camped consisted of seven houses and 

 three tree-houses, which are really forts or castles. 

 One was a hundred and twenty feet high. A native 

 went up with an armful of spears, and threw them 

 down at an imaginary enemy. When they liave rea- 

 son to expect an enemy, they take up a supply of big 

 stones. These houses conunand the whole village, 

 and could not easily be taken. The travellers saw- 

 much of the natives, who are good specimens of 

 the average Koiarian. They are somewhat darker, 

 shorter, and more hairy, than the coast people. When 

 a man dies, it is always known whose spirit has be- 

 witched him ; and his tribe must pay in order to give 

 the dead man rest. Whenever a man of the least 

 consequence dies, there is fighting. Their mode of 

 getting fire is peculiar. They take a dry stick of 

 pithy wood, and split it a little way. In the cleft they 

 put a piece of wood or a stone to keep it open; then, 

 putting a little rubbisli as tinder under the split part 

 of the stick, they stand on the other end, and pass a 

 strip of rattan, cane, or bamboo, under the cleft, draw- 

 ing it rapidly up and down, when it soon begins to 

 smoke, and sparks appear between the forks of the 

 stick, which, with a little care, sets fire to the tinder, 

 and a flame is soon obtained. — J. w. p. [324 



The Toltecs. — Notwithstanding Dr. Brinton's 

 consignment of tlie Toltecs to the Morgenland, M. 

 E. T. Hamy has the courage to say, " The Toltecs 



play the most important part in the past history 

 of North America. Their history commences with 

 the fifth century of our era, and their migration to the 

 south-east coincides in a striking manner with the 

 great movement of peoples in the old world. When 

 the Goths and lluns were annihilating the civiliza- 

 tion of Europe, at the olher end of the world other 

 barbari.ans, tr.avelliug in the same direction, were 

 destroying older nations." M. Hamy gives a brief 

 review of the Toltec art, especially in clay, and then 

 ])n)ceeds to enlarge upon the discoveries of M. Chaii- 

 nay, illustrating his remarks by means of specimens 

 in the Lorillard collection. The first period of Toltec 

 ceramic art is termed pantillaije ; the second, more 

 advanced, may be called pousxixje. Tula, Teotihua- 

 can, .and Cholula contain the most imposing vestiges 

 of Toltec grandeur. The remains of what was the 

 first capital of the Toltecs are situated nineteen 

 leagues north of Mexico, at the confluence of the Eio 

 Grande de Tula and a small river from the mountains 

 of Texas. M. Charnay visited the ruins of this place, 

 and photographed the most important. The descrip- 

 tions of the other two capitals are passed over briefly 

 liy M. Hamy; but of Cholula, fortunately, we have 

 the very minute observations of Bandelier, to be pub- 

 lished by the Archeological institute. — (.^Issoc. sc. 

 France, Conference 'lb M<ars, 1882.) .i. w. p. [325 

 The perforated humerus. — Professor Henry W. 

 Haynes, in exhibiting a perforated Indian humerus 

 found at Concord, Mass., brings together some im- 

 portant references to the same phenomenon observed 

 elsewhere. Mr. Henry Gihnan found 50 % in the 

 Michigan mounds; at Grenelle, Paris, 3J. Martin 

 found 28 '(' ; in the Furfooz race of the caves of Bel- 

 giunvJ^L Dupont found .30 '/o ; in the Dolmen of 

 Argenteuil, near P.aris, M. Leguay found 25 ff ; while 

 Dr. Prnner Bey ascertained the average at Vaureal, 

 near by, to be 2(1 %. He also reported that it is com- 

 mon in skeletons of the Guanches. In the cave of 

 Orrouy, belonging to the bronze age, the average was 

 ascertained by Dr. Broca to be 2.5 % . Among two 

 thousand skeletons of the polished stone age, discov- 

 ered by the Baron de Baye in Champagne, he reports 

 it as very frequent. Prof. Ward also speaks of the 

 broken state in which long bones are found, attribut- 

 ing it to design. W'ith regard to percentages on small 

 numbers, a very singular experience was that of the 

 writer of this note last year. Wishing to know what 

 races and nationalities supplied the criminals of his 

 city, he consulted the census and the police records. 

 The former rejiorted one Persian in the community; 

 the latter, five Persians, arrested and convicted. Star- 

 tled by the factth.at five hundred per cent of the Per- 

 sians were criminals, he was about to warn the 

 government against allowing any more to land. A 

 few moments' study, however, set the matter right. 

 The poor Persian on the census-roll had been ' sent 

 down' five times during one year, for sixty days each 

 time, on account of vagrancy. — {Proc. Amer. antiq. 

 soc, ii. SO.) o. T. M. [326 



