SCIENCE 



Editoeial Committee : S. Newcomb, Mathematics ; R. S. Woodward, Mechanics ; E. C. Pickeeing, As- 

 tronomy ; T. C. Mendenhall, Physios ; R. H. Thueston, Engineering ; lEA Eemsen, Chemistry ; 

 J. Le Conte, Geology; W. M. Davis, Physiography; O. C. Maesh, Paleontology; W. K. Beooks, 

 Invertebrate Zoology ; C. Haet Meeeiam, Vertebrate Zoology ; S. H. Scuddee, Entomology ; 

 N. L. Beitton, Botany ; Henry F. Osboen, General Biology ; H. P. Bowditch, 

 Physiology ; J. S. Billings, Hygiene ; J. MoKeen Cattell, Psychology ; 

 Daniel G. Beinton, J. W. Powell, Anthropology. 



Feiday, January 3, 1896. 



CONTENTS: 



Tli£ Origin of Hypotheses, Illustrated hy tlie Discus- 

 sion of a Topographic Problem : G. K. Gilbert 

 (with Plates I. and II.) 1 



Some Fundamentals of Nomenclature: Edw. L. 

 Geeene 13 



Impressions of the Naples Zoological Station : T. H. 

 Morgan 16 



Annual Meeting of the American Mathematical Soci- 

 ety : Thomas S. Fiske 18 



Current Notes on Anthro2)ology : — 

 Besearches in South American Languages; The 

 Anthropology of Women: D. G. Beinton 19 



Scientific Notes and News : — 



Experiment Stations for Engineering ; The British 

 Museum; Astronomical; General 20 



and Educational News 23 



flc Literature : — 

 Shenstone's Life of Liebig ; Behren's Organische 

 VerMndungen : lEA Remsen. Morley on the 

 Densities of Oxygen and Hydrogen: W. A. 

 NOYES. Elmer's Evolution of Butterflies : C. S. ■ 

 MiNOT. Headley's Structure and Life of Birds : 

 F. A. Lucas; The Beginnings of Writing : Liv- 

 ingston Faeeand 24 



Scientific Journals : — 



Journal of Geology ; American Journal of Science ; 

 School of Mines Quarterly 31 



Societies and Academies : — 



New York Academy of Sciences: Bashfoed 

 Dean, J. F. Kemp. Biological Society of Wash- 

 ington : F. A. Lucas. Anthropological Society 

 of Washington. Entomological Society of Wash- 

 ington. St. Louis Academy of Science: A. W. 

 Douglas 33 



MSS. intended for publication and books etc., intended 

 for review should be sent to the responsible editor, Prof. J. 

 McKeen Cattell, Garrison-on-Hudson, N. Y. 



THE OSIGINOF HYPOTHESES, ILLUSTRATED 

 BY THE DISCUSSION OF A TOPO- 

 GRAPHIC PB0BLE3I.* 



An important part — in some respects the 

 most important part — of theVork of science 

 is the explanation of the facts of Nature. 

 The process through wliich natural pheno- 

 mena are explained is called the ' method of 

 hypotheses,' and though it is familiar to 

 most of my audience I shall nevertheless 

 describe it brieflj'^ for the purpose of direct- 

 ing special attention to one of its factors. 



The hypothesis has been called a ' scien- 

 tific guess, ' and unless the title ' guess ' 

 carries with it something of disrespect 

 it is not inappropriate. When the in- 

 vestigator, having under consideration a 

 fact or group of facts whose origin or cause 

 is unknown, seeks to discover their origin, 

 his first step is to make a guess. In other 

 words, he frames a hypothesis or invents a 

 tentative theory. Then he proceeds to test 

 the hypothesis, and in planning a test he 

 reasons in this way : If the phenomenon 

 was really produced in the hypothetic man- 

 ner, then it should possess, in addition to the 

 features already observed, certain other spe- 

 cific features, and the discovery of these will 

 serve to verify the hypothesis. Eesuming 



* Annual Address of the President of the Geologi- 

 cal Society of Washington ; read December 1] , 1895, to 

 the Scientific Societies of Washington. By special ar- 

 rangement, through the Joint Commission of those 

 societies, this number of Science is mailed to all 

 members. 



