786 
of salts in nitrils are good conductors of elec- 
tricity makes a determination of the dielectric 
constant of importance. Hydroeyanic acid was 
found to have a higher dielectric constant than 
water. Anincrease in thesize of the molecules 
of nitrils by the addition of carbon and hydro- 
gen lowers the dielectric constant. ‘The Fun- 
damental Equation of a Multiple Point,’ by 
Paul Saurel. ‘Ona Property of the Pressure- 
Volume Diagram,’ by Paul Saurel. ‘ Dissoci- 
ation Studies,’ by Wilder D. Bancroft. A study 
of the equilibrium relations of the three modi- 
fications of ethyl-aldehyde. 
Tue April number (No. 2, Vol. XXIII.) of 
the American Journal of Mathematics contains 
the following memoirs: ‘The Cross Ratio 
Group of 120 Quadratic Cremona Transforma- 
tions of the Plane,’ by H. E. Slaught; ‘Mem- 
oir on the Algebra of Symbolic Logic,’ by A. 
N. Whitehead ; ‘On a Special Form of Annular 
Surfaces,’ by V. Snyder; ‘On the Transitive 
Substitution Groups, whose Order is a Power 
of a Prime Number,’ by G. A. Miller ; ‘ Geome- 
try on the Cubic Scroll of the Second Kind,’ 
by F. C. Ferry. 
THE leading article of the May number of 
Popular Astronomy is the concluding one of the 
series written by Herbert A. Howe, on ‘ Astro- 
nomical Books for the Use of Students.’ G. 
Seneca Jones contributes a discussion of Profes- 
sor Holden’s recent article in McClure’s Maga- 
zine, entitled ‘What we Know about Mars’; 
George C. Comstock an article on ‘ Establishing 
a Meridian Line,’ and Dr. J. Morrison the third 
instalment of a series on general perturba- 
tions and the perturbative function. ‘The New 
Star in Perseus’ is discussed by A. E. Douglass, 
of the Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona, 
and by George E. Hale, of the Yerkes Ob- 
servatory, and Professor J. G. Hagen’s sec- 
ond chart and catalogue are printed. Ob- 
servations are reported by David E. Hadden, 
F. E. Seagrave and Wm. E. Sperra. Dr. H. 
C. Wilson writes of the approaching total solar 
eclipse of May 17-18, 1901, accompanying his 
article by charts showing the path of the eclipse 
and its track across Sumatra and Borneo. The 
General Department contains notes upon Am- 
herst College Total Eclipse Expedition, the 
SCIENCE. 
(N.S. Vou. XIII. No. 333. 
Benjamin Apthorp Gould fund, Eros a Double 
Planet, Astronomy in High Schools, List of 
Stellar Nove and So-called New Stars-Book, 
reviews of Serviss, ‘Pleasures of the Tele- 
scope,’ and Comstock’s ‘ Text-Book of Astro- 
nomy,’ ‘Astronomy in the 20th Century’ and the 
Alvan Clark and Sons Corporation. The usual 
planet and asteroid notes are also included. 
SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 
ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. 
At the 317th meeting, held on April 9th, Mr. 
George C. Maynard exhibited an interesting 
series of early time-keeping apparatus, consist- 
ing of a set of foursand glasses, mounted in a 
frame, used during the fourteenth century in 
churches ; a water clock; a pewter and glass 
time lamp ; a time candle, and a small cocoa- 
nut cup from Lower Siam, having a per- 
foration ; the cup, when floated on a basin of 
water, sinks in a stated period. 
Hon. Edward F. McSweeny, Assistant Com- 
missioner of Immigration, port of New York, 
read a paper on the immigration question. 
The paper was accompanied by charts and pho- 
tographs of racial types. Mr. McSweeny, in 
discussing the subject of immigration, gave 
some historical account of the origin and cause 
of such movements, and, in reference to the tide 
that early set toward this country, he called at- 
tention to the variety of peoples that were rep- 
resented. In the chart showing immigration 
by years, the diminution of the influx of for- 
eigners during the periods of industrial de- 
pression was most marked. Mr. McSweeny 
pointed out that the foci of immigration have 
shifted from northern Europe to eastern 
Europe, and that the bulk of immigrants are 
Italian, Slavic and Oriental, of an undesirable 
class. He fears that the present tendency to 
concentration in all fields of industrial endeavor 
may be utilized in connection with the intro- | 
duction of vast hordes of these aliens to breal 
down labor conditions and wage standards, and 
suggests that legislation to exclude this unde- 
sirable class should be framed. The paper was 
discussed by Major J. W. Powell, John R. 
Proctor, and a number of others present. 
WALTER HovucH. 
