February 23, 1883. 



SCIENCE. 



83 



INTELLIGENCE FROM AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC STATIONS. 



GOVERNMENT OBGANIZATIONS. 



Geological survey. 

 Rocky-mountain dimsion. — This includes the terri- 

 tories of Montana, Dakota, Wyoming, New Mexico, 

 and the state of Colorado, with headquarters at 

 Denver. The corps consists of Messrs. S. F. Em- 

 mons, geologist in charge; Ernest Jacal and Whitman 

 Cross, assistant geologists; and W. F. Hillebrand, 

 chemist. Tliis division forms part of the general 

 subdivision of survey-work on mining-geology; i.e., 

 its investigations are devoted more particularly to 

 questions of direct economical importance. 



The work already more or less completely accom- 

 plished by this division is as follows: — 



1°. Monograph on the geology and mining industry 

 of Leadville, which, owing to delays in the government 

 printing-office, is not yet published, but of which an 

 abstract appe.ared in tlie Annual report of the director 

 for 1881. 2°. Bulletin on hypersthene andesite, now 

 in press. 3°. Monograph on the geology and mining 

 industry of Ten-mile district. "4°. Monograph on 

 the basaltic mesas near Gulden, Col., and their rela- 

 tions to the contiguous tertiary and cretaceous beds. 

 The two latter are expected to be ready for the 

 printer during the spring. .5°. Monograph on the 

 geology and mining-industry of Silver Cliff. The to- 

 pographic basis for this work is completed, and the 

 geological work will be carried on during the coming 

 summer. G°. A study of the Denver coal-field. This 

 work is designed to be carried on at intervals when 

 the moimtain regions are unapproachable on account 

 of snow. The map, on a scale of one mile to the 

 inch, covering an area of thirty square miles, was 

 commenced in November. 



As a,ccessories a number of new and interesting 

 minerals have been discovered in Pike's-Peak region. 

 Under the orders of the director, collections of typi- 

 cal crystalline rocks are being made, two hundred of 

 each. The plan is, to obtain in time two hundred full 

 suites of typical rocks which have been carefully 

 studied both microscopically and chemically, and 

 which will be distributed to various institutions of 

 learning in the country to serve as a guide for stu- 

 dents. 



National nniaenm. 

 Alaskan Fishes. — An important collection of forty- 

 three species of marine fishes from south-eastern 

 Alaska, including a new Triglops, has been recently 

 received from Capt. H. E. Nichols. The collection 

 is a noteworthy one, in that it furnishes proof that 

 the range of the genus Sebastichthys extends far to- 

 ward the north-west. 



PUBLIC AND PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS. 



Museum of comparative zoblogyi Cambridge, Mass, 

 The 'Blake' collections. —The publication of the 

 preliminary reports has made excellent progress dur- 

 ing the past year. There now remain unfinished of 

 these, only those upon the fishes, halcyonoids, fora- 

 minifera, ostr.acoids, nemerteans, and some minor 

 groups, as well as the report on the bottoms. It has 

 been decided to publish only the final reports of the 

 fishes of the east coast and of the holothurians. That 

 on the fishes will be published in coiniection with the 

 U. S. fish-commission, and include many species of 

 shallower waters, first brought to light by the dredg- 

 ings of the 'Fish-hawk.' Prof. G. B. Goode and 

 Dr. Bean have already prepared the greater part of 

 this report. Dr. H. Theel of Stockholm, who has 



undertaken to work up the liolothurians, hopes next 

 spring to transmit his fin.al report to the Swedish 

 academy of Stockholm, where it is to be published. 

 Prof. Verrill has com])leted the examination ot the 

 east co.ast IJalcynnariae and Actinaiiae, and }^V^'^- 

 parhig a report of these and of those of the Caribbean 

 Sea and Gulf of Mexico for the museiiin bulletin. 

 Work is progressing favorably on the other reports. 

 Mr. Aga?sizhas nearly conipk^ted the first part ot the 

 final report on the Echini: twenty plales are already 

 on stone, and the remaining plates are well advanced. 

 Mr. W. H. Dall is engaged in preparing the final 

 report on the mollusks. His preliminary reports have 

 already been issued. Mr. P. H. CarpeiUer has con- 

 cluded his preliminary report on the Comatulae; anU 

 it was publishc'd in October, 1831. The cniioids, 

 which had been placed in the hands of the late bir 

 Wyville Thomson lor determination, to be wm-ked up 

 in connection with the ' Challenger ' material, have 

 been transferred by Mr. John Murray, of the Chat- 

 lenger' office, to Mr. Carpenter. Mr. Carpenter pro- 

 poses in cnnneclion with his father, Dr. W. B. cai- 

 penter, to work out as fully as practicable the niuiute 

 anatomvof renlacrinus, f(n- which the materia col- 

 lected by the ' Blake' is quite extensive. In addition 

 to the Pentacrinus material, the museum specimens 

 of Holopus were also placed in his hamls. Mr. t.ar- 

 penter is now preparing a preliminary repoit on this 

 part of the collccticm. During the spring, 1 rot. &. l. 

 Smith completed the report on the Crustacea, col- 

 lected of!' the Atlantic coast of the United States dur- 

 ing the summer of 1880. The reports already pub- 

 lished in the museum bulletin aggregate 'ilio pp., and 

 6,3 pi.; and the collections have also served as the 

 basis of several papers published elsewhere. 

 Peabody museum of American archaeology, Cambridge, Mass. 

 Indimiiioytmils. — 'The museum has received the 

 originals of sixty-eiaht of the plales given in Mc- 

 Keniiy and Hall's folio volumes on the Indian tribes 

 of North America,' published in 18::!G, together with 

 thirtv-seven other portraits of Indians. These por- 

 traits are of life-size, and with few exceptions were 

 painted bv Mr. C. B. King, an artist ot considerable 

 merit. They were presented to the museum by the 

 heirs of the late E. P. Tileston and Amos Hollmgs- 

 worth of Boston, and are unquestionably ot great 

 ethnological value. 



NOTES AND NEWS. 



— The editor of Science will be glad to receive 

 and acknowledge subscriptions to the Balfour memo- 

 rial fund, mentioned in the leading article of this 

 week's issue : they may- also be sent to Prof. H. 

 Newell Martin, of the Johns Hopkins university, 

 Baltimore, who is secretary and treasurer of the 

 American committee. 



— Prof. William L. Dudley of Cincinnati has re- 

 cently succeeded in obtaining a good electro-deposit 

 of iridium, which is susceptible of high polish. The 

 bath is kept of constant strength, by continuous solu- 

 tion of the metal. Thin platinum foil, coated with 

 iridium, retains its flexibility, while the coating does 

 not readily scale. It has been proposed to use this 

 process to give a hard face to copper-plate engravings. 



