DECEMBER 1, 1899. ] 
effect of these various factors. This is a sort of 
quantitative analysis, which, though of purely 
technical interest, would have its value for psy- 
chology, could we but be sure of our numerical 
basis. When unfortunately there are, as in the 
present instance, three or more variable factors 
at our disposal, no one of which isa determined 
function of any other quantity, the field for 
arbitrary assumption of values is so wide that 
we have no means of checking our computation. 
The real value of the work is that it points 
out several incidental factors in the process of 
judging. The more closely actual judgments 
are studied, the more evident does it become 
that they do not proceed according to the clean 
logical schemes which we are prone to devise 
for them in advance. 
R. 8S. WooDWORTH. 
GENERAL. 
THE American Museum of Natural History, 
New York City, proposes to publish a selec- 
tion of photographs collected by members of 
the Jesup North Pacific Expedition, provided 
a sufficient number of subscriptions can be ob- 
tained to warrant the undertaking. The photo- 
graphs are to be reproduced by the heliotype 
process, in large quarto form. The edition will 
be limited to 250 copies. It is intended to issue 
the album in parts of at least 24 plates annually, 
the whole series to embrace 120 plates. It is 
contemplated to publish during the first year a 
series illustrating Indian types from the interior 
of British Columbia. 
THE University of the State of New York 
has issued Museum Bulletin 24, supplement- 
ing the report of the entomologist for 1898, 
which is a memorial of the life and ento- 
mological work of Dr. Lintner. This contains 
a consolidated index to his whole series of 
reports and gives a nearly, if not quite, com- 
plete list of his scientific contributions dur- 
ing a long series of years. This volume of 316 
pages will be sent postpaid to any address for 
35 cents. Bulletin 28 is a pamphlet of 202 
pages on the plants of North Elba, which will 
be much appreciated by the frequenters of that 
beautiful region. Its price postpaid is 20 cents. 
In University Handbook 16, the State Entomol- 
ogist explains the scope and public utility of his 
SCIENCE. 
819° 
field of work. This series of handbooks gives 
in convenient form information frequently called. 
for regarding the various divisions of the uni- 
versity work, and single copies are mailed free: 
to any address. 
BOOKS RECEIVED. 
The Nervous System and its Constituent Neurones.. 
LEWELLYS F. BARKER. New York, D. Apple-- 
ton & Co. 1899. Pp. xxxii- 1122. 
Chemistry, its Evolution and Achievements. FERDI- 
NANDG. WIECHMANN. New York, Jenkins. 1899. 
Pp. vii-+ 176. 
The Family of the Sun, Conversations with a Child. Ep- 
WARD S. HotpEN. New York, D. Appleton & 
Co. 1899. Pp. xxiv + 252. 50c. 
Handbook of Practical Hygiene. D. H. BrERGEY. 
Easton, Pa., The Chemical Publishing Co. 1899. 
Pp. 164. 
NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. 
THE larger works on descriptive chemistry 
are full of compounds whose existence is doubt- 
ful, and it becomes the sometimes thankless 
task of the chemists of to-day to go over this 
old work and verify or prove false the work of” 
earlier observers. An instance of this appears 
in the last Journal of the Chemical Society 
(London) in the case of the suboxid of phos- 
phorus P,O. The existence of such a compound, 
discovered by Le Verrier in 1838 was, indeed, 
called in question by von Schrotter in 1852, as 
he considered it merely an impure form of the 
red (‘amorphous’) phosphorus, which had not 
long before been discovered by him. In 1880, 
however, Goldschmidt and Reinitzer prepared 
a red substance which resembled Le Verrier’s 
‘suboxid’ and the existence of P,O seemed to 
be confirmed. But now Chapman and Lidbury 
have gone over the whole subject, have prepared 
and analyzed every substance which has been 
described by different observers as ‘suboxid’ 
and come to the conclusion that the supposed 
suboxid P,O is identical with red phosphorus in 
a finally divided and superficially somewhat 
oxidized and hydrated condition. No com- 
pound of definite composition could be found. 
THE problem of softening hard waters for in- 
dustrial purposes is one of the great problems. 
of applied. chemistry. Such softening is not 
merely necessary for boiler waters, but it has 
