May 24, 1901.] 
ELISHA MITCHELL SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY. 
Art the 135th meeting of the Society on May 
4th, the following papers were read : 
‘Transit Methods for Laying Sewer Grades’: 
Mr. Wm. Cain. 
‘Acid Crystallization’: Mr. Charles Basker- 
ville. 
‘The Probable Complexity of Thorium’: Mr. 
Chas. Baskerville. 
‘The Recent Geological Formations of the 
Mississippi Valley’: Mr. J. A. Holmes. 
CHAS. BASKERVILLE, 
Secretary. 
DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
THE LARYNX AS AN INSTRUMENT OF MUSIC. 
To THE EprToR oF ScrENCE: In this week’s 
number of ScIENCE Professor Joseph Le Conte 
remarks upon Professor Scripture’s description 
of the mode of action of the vocal chords, and 
quotes from a work of his own to show that the 
larynx ‘cannot be likened to a stringed instru- 
ment nor to a reed-pipe,’ continuing, ‘‘It is 
strange that no one has thought to liken it to 
an ordinary horn; a stage horn, or better, a 
French horn.”’ 
In Helmholtz’s ‘ Tonempfindungen,’ of which 
the first edition was published in 1862, occurs, 
under the caption, ‘Membranése Zungen,’ the 
following statement: ‘Als musikalische Instru- 
mente kommen nur zwei Arten solcher mem- 
branéser Zungen in Betracht, ndmlich die men- 
schlichen Lippen beim Anblasen der Blechin- 
strumente und der menschliche Kehlkopf in 
Gesange.’ 
This is the exact comparison suggested by 
Professor Le Conte. There follows a minute 
description of the mode of action of the vocal 
chords, and of the action of the lips in blowing 
a horn, which has never needed any improve- 
ment or correction. Both these cases are, very 
properly as it seems to me, classified under reed 
pipes, the sorts of reeds described being of great 
variety. The model pictured at the head of 
the section, for the study of membranous reeds, 
is certainly, as I think will be admitted by any- 
one who has made one, a very convincing 
demonstration of the mode of action of the 
SCIENCE. 
827 
larynx. Professor Scripture’s elastic cushions 
are certainly to be classified as reeds. | 
ARTHUR GORDON WEBSTER. 
CLARK UNIVERSITY, May 17, 1901. 
THE NEW COMET. 
To THE EDITOR OF SCIENCE: In SCIENCE for 
May 3d, page 717, appears an announcement of 
the discovery of the new comet, to which is 
added a section, stating that Professor Frost, 
of the Yerkes Observatory, had observed the 
comet on the morning of April 27th, just be- 
fore sunrise. The last number of the Astronom- 
ical Journal also contains a similar statement, 
saying the comet was seen by him 20 minutes 
before sunrise, half an hour afterwards, and 
15° north of the sun. 
Here at the Naval Observatory two of the 
computers, and also I, myself, hunted dili- 
gently for the comet, both in the morning and 
evening, for several days after the receipt of 
the first telegram, and until we had positiye 
information on the direction of motion. 
Now that a set of elements of the comet 
has been received, it is perfectly clear that 
whatever Professor Frost sighted on April 27th, 
it was not the comet. On that day the object 
was 13° sowth of the sun, and very close to it 
in right ascension. 
Moreover, as seen from the Yerkes Observa- 
tory, it would not rise until about 40 or 45 
minutes after the sun, as any one can easily 
demonstrate by computing the place of the 
comet for that day, the semi-diurnal are for it 
and the sun, for Yerkes Observatory, and take 
the difference between those two quantities. 
GEORGE A. HILL. 
NAVAL OBSERVATORY, WASHINGTON, 
D. C., May 16, 1901. 
THE TEACHING OF PHYSIOLOGY IN THE 
PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 
AxsouT two years ago I wrote a letter for 
ScIENCE concerning the text-book in physiology 
adopted by the State Board and used through- 
out the public schools of Kansas. Much dis- 
satisfaction has been expressed by the more 
intelligent teachers of the State, but there is, 
nevertheless, no redress—the book must be 
used as a text in every school in the State. 
