■896 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. III. No. 77. 



but a native explained them as cartograph- 

 ical delineations, intended to indicate the 

 locality where the utensil was manufac- 

 tured, and the position and relative dis- 

 tances from it of the other villages occupied 

 by the tribe. 



This explanation seems to have valuable 

 bearings in the interpretation of petro- 

 glyphs, and also of some of the curious 

 markings on aboriginal pottery. It is likely 

 that the same idea would be carried out on 

 the soft surface of the pottery jar as on the 

 exterior of the gourd. Some similar draw- 

 ings of a topographic nature have been 

 briefly discussed by Col. Garrick Mallery in 

 his ' Picture Writings of the American In- 

 dians,' p. 341. D. G. Brinton. 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. 

 ASTRONOMY. 



The international committee having in 

 charge the work of the Astrophotographic 

 Chart of the Heavens met in Paris on May 

 lltli and the following days. The proceedings 

 of the committee related principally to the 

 technical details of the work, The reports of 

 the directors of the various observatories tak- 

 ing part in the photographic work were, how- 

 ever, of considerable public interest. It ap- 

 pears from these reports that the series of plates 

 from the measurement of which a catalogue of 

 all the stars down to the eleventh magnitude is 

 to be constructed have been [iractically com- 

 pleted at nearly all the participating observa- 

 tories. The second series of plates, which are 

 to be used simply as a chart, and which will in- 

 clude stars several magnitudes fainter than the 

 smallest ones admitted to the great catalogue, 

 is also well advanced. These chart plates re- 

 quire a much longer exposure than the cata- 

 logue plates, and for this reason it is not possi- 

 ble to finish them as quickly as the others. 



The measurement of the catalogue plates has 

 progressed with satisfactory rapidity at several 

 of the observatories, so that we may expect the 

 first instalment of the catalogue within a very 

 few years. The final completion of it will per- 

 haps require twenty-five or thirty years. The 



probable error of the final catalogue positions 

 will be about one-tenth of a second of arc in 

 either coordinate. H. J. 



THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN. 



The seventh annual report of the Missouri 

 Botanical Garden, recently issued, contains, in 

 addition to the scientific papers, which we hope 

 to notice later, the administrative reports for 

 the year 1895. From these it appears that dur- 

 ing the past year the maintenance revenue of 

 the institution was $100,042.65, of which $86,- 

 698.09 was expended for the maintenance of 

 the revenue property, taxes (amounting to 

 nearly $25,000.00), and the maintenance and 

 extension of the Garden. 



It is stated that about one-third more people 

 visited the Garden than during the previous 

 year, on one day over 30,000 persons having 

 been counted. As in the two preceding seasons, 

 the growth of the Victoria Eegia was made a 

 prominent feature, and excited much interest. 

 One of the most practical and direct benefits 

 conferred by the Garden is indicated by the 

 statement that, as in previous years, a consider- 

 able number of bedding plants were removed 

 from the ground and potted on the approach of 

 cold weather, and about 800 of these were dis- 

 tributed to hospitals, mission schools and simi- 

 lar charities, about half of the number going to 

 the kindergartens of the public-school system. 

 The provision for experimental work in horti- 

 culture and for the adequate instruction of 

 pupils in gardening has been increased by the 

 planting of a carefully selected orchard and the 

 erection of a vegetable forcing house, built on 

 the approved commercial models. 



The herbarium has been increased by the in- 

 corporation of over ten thousand sheets of speci- 

 mens, and now comprises some 242,000 speci- 

 mens, besides over 4,000 slides, wood specimens, 

 etc. During the past year, $3,764.00 was spent 

 for purchases and binding for the library, which 

 has been increased by 3,036 books and pamph- 

 lets during the year, so that, as now constituted, 

 it consists of 10,030 pamphlets and 9,619 vol- 

 umes. These facilities have been placed freely 

 at the service of competent investigators, in a 

 circular similar to one that was printed in this 

 Journal a year since, and they have been used, 



