jANnitEY 17, 1896.] 



SCIENCE. 



95 



the genus are mere pigmies. This specimen is 

 three inches in diameter ; and as it is of the 

 same very slender tyjDe as the associated forms 

 it could not have heen less than sis feet in 

 length, and probably was even longer. The 

 species is 0. fanslerensis. i 



' Charles E. Keyes. 



astronomical. 



The last German mail has brought copies of 

 the report made by Prof Albrecht, of Potsdam, 

 at the last meeting of the International Geo- 

 detic Committee on the subject of Variation of 

 Latitude. The report contains much interest- 

 ing matter. There is a summary of all the ob- 

 servational material gathered since 1890 and 

 arranged in the form of monthly means for each 

 observing station. The results are then dis- 

 cussed in such a way as to lead to a final table 

 in which the difference between the mean and 

 instantaneous latitudes is given for every tenth 

 of a year and for every thirty degrees of longi- 

 tude. The results are stated to be provisional 

 only, because several of the observatories have 

 not yet furnished definitive reductions of their 

 observations. This want will no doubt soon be 

 supplied. The results of the observations made at 

 Columbia College, New York, which are among 

 those not yet reduced, are particularly needed, 

 according to Prof. Albrecht, because they alone 

 can raise the determination of the y-coordinate 

 of the instantaneous pole to sufiicient precision. 

 The most important result reached by Prof 

 Albrecht is summarized in the following words: 

 ' ' The phenomenon of the polar motion proves 

 to be too complicated to admit of complete 

 representation by means of a formula contain- 

 ing several terms. This having been proved, 

 we may regard it as settled that we have at the 

 present time only reached the stage of a first 

 approximation to a knowledge of the phenomena 

 in question. We should regard the problem, 

 thei-efore, as very far from solved, and must de- 

 vote to it our full attention." 



It will, perhaps, be of interest to astrono- 

 mers and others interested in complicated cal- 

 culations to learn that it is possible now to ob- 

 tain a computing machine of the very highest 

 capability at a very small price. The ' Bruns- 

 viga ' machine, made by Ernst Schuster, Schone- 



berger Ufer, Berlin, costs only seventy-five dol- 

 lars, and gives a product of thirteen figures. 

 That is to say, two numbers, each containing 

 six figures, can be multiplied together. These 

 machines can be imported duty free by educa- 

 tional institutions. Three of them are in con- 

 tinual use at the observatory of Columbia Col- 

 lege, New York, where they give the greatest 

 satisfaction. H. J. 



PHYSICS. 



Undbe, the title Ueber die Doppelhrechung der 

 Strahlen Elecirischer Kraft ("Wied. Ann. Vol. 

 56), p. 1, 1895, Mr. Lebedew describes the 

 apparatus and methods of obtaining very short 

 Hertz waves, ''- = 0.6 cm., together with con- 

 venient arrangements for showing polariza- 

 tion, interference, rectilinear propagation, re- 

 flection and refraction. He was able even to 

 obtain crystals large enough to show double 

 refraction, and constructed Nicols prisms of 

 sulphur crystals cut correctly and set together 

 with a film of ebonite. Using these Nicols he 

 was able to repeat the usual tests between 

 crossed Nicols in light, even producing a plate 

 of sulphur which showed phenomena similar 

 to those with the I '^ mica plate. These very 

 short waves make many experiments not only 

 possible but simple. 



Mr. K. Olszewski has applied a method 

 (Wied. Ann. Vol. 56, p. 133, 1895) which 

 he calls the expansion method, to the deter- 

 minations of low temperatures and has com- 

 pared the results with those obtained with a 

 hydrogen thermometer. The results are as 

 follows : 



W. H. 



THE HUXLEY MEMORIAL. 



The general committee report that since 

 the first meeting on the 27th ult., which 



