July 12, 1895.] 



SCIENCE. 



39 



ing simply moving flashes in tranquil in- 

 candescent gases. Neither of these theor- 

 ies, however, is accepted to any great ex- 

 tent by practical students of the Sun and 

 observers of solar phenomena. 



The surface of the Sun (photosphere, 

 spots, faculise and prominences) is now a 

 subject of daily study at many observatories, 

 particulai-ly at Potsdam, Meudon, Rome, 

 and the Kenwood Observatory of the Uni- 

 versity of Chicago, where Professor Hale 

 has instituted many significant innovations, 

 in which he has been closely followed by 

 M. Deslandres, of Paris; and observations 

 are rapidly accumulating, the complete dis- 

 cussion of which ought soon to settle many 

 points in the solar theory now disputed. 

 But as the Sun's corona is visible only a 

 few hours in a century, our knowledge of 

 that object makes haste very slowlj^, and 

 must continue to do so, unless the photo- 

 graphic method of Dr. Huggins (apparently 

 successful in 1883, though later not), or of 

 other investigators, shall make it possible 

 to study the brighter streamers of the corona 

 without an eclipse. Results of a patient 

 series of recent attempts, however, are not 

 encouraging. But it is well worth noting 

 that an application of Professor Langley's 

 bolometer, lately proposed by Professor 

 Hale, though not yet put into execution, 

 may still enable us to map the corona at 

 any time by means of the minute A'ariations 

 in its heat from part to part. And many 

 astronomers are hopeful that this ingenious 

 suggestion may yet give a trustworthy 

 outline picture of the corona in full sun- 

 light, although the ability to picture it di- 

 rectly may forever be denied. 



Amheest College. David P. Todd. 



CURRENT NOTES ON PBYSIOGRAPSY [XII.). 

 RECENT GEOGRAPHICAL SCHOOL BOOKS. 



Professor Spencer Trotter's ' Lessons 

 in the New Geography ' (Heath & Co., 

 Boston, 1895) was referred to with approval 



in the Current Notes on Anthropology in 

 Science for March 8th ; but its geographical 

 features are not altogether satisfactory. 

 The spirit of the book is excellent. It does 

 a good work in emphasizing the control 

 that geographical conditions exercise over 

 the distribution of plants, animals and man; 

 but its physiographic foundation is not se- 

 cure ; the two brief chapters on the general 

 forms of land and water and on climate and 

 meteorology do not present the better mod- 

 ern views on these subjects ; and the chap- 

 ters on the geographical distribution of 

 life, to which special attention is paid, do 

 not satisfy the expectations of the biologist, 

 as far as I have made inquirj^. The faunal 

 divisions recognized for America belong to 

 the past ; while the latest results, based on 

 positive knowledge of the facts of distribu- 

 tion and of the facts of temperature con- 

 trol, are not mentioned. It is to be hoped 

 that these deficiencies will be corrected in a 

 later edition. 



' Short Studies in Nature Knowledge,' an 

 introduction to the science of physiography 

 by William Gee, certified teacher of the 

 education department (London, Macmillan, 

 1895), is one of a class of attractive books, 

 whose object is to make geography better 

 worth studying. Its entertaining chapters 

 are well illustrated, if exception is made of 

 certain exaggerated pictures, such as that 

 of the Susquehanna, p. 121 ; but the book 

 lacks a strong and scientific basis. The 

 reader Avill probably be interested and at- 

 tracted to further study; but he will not be 

 impressed with the system and order of Na- 

 ture's processes. As is so often the case, the 

 impossible is attempted in giving an ele- 

 mentary explanation of the general circu- 

 lation of the winds. 



'A Brief Descriptive Geography of the 

 Empire State,' by C. W. Bardeen (Bardeen, 

 Syracuse, N. Y., 1895, 75 cents), is in- 

 tended for local use, giving an account of 

 the general topography, surface (mountains. 



