374 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. I., No. 13. 



account for the cliaracter of the contents of the pits, 

 and the great number of the pits would indicate a 

 long-continued occupation of the village. 



Honghton Farm, MountaiEville, N.T, 

 Soil-temperatures. — During the past year observa- 

 tions upon soil-temperature were carried on by means 

 of mercurial thermometers of special form, adjusted 

 to slow action. It was sought, however, to overcome 

 the inconveniences of their use, sinoe they i-equire 

 to be drawn at each reading. Recourse was therefore 

 had to an electrical thermometer, which is now in use, 

 supplementary to, and in extension of, the mercurial 

 thermometers, which will continue to be employed. 

 The thermo-apparatus is really one of Becquerel's 

 electrical thermometers, though some slight modi- 

 fications have been introduced in the method of bal- 

 ancing the current. The apparatus, as now in use, 

 juay be described as follows : — 



Couples are formed by soldering copper wires to 

 the iron line-wire at such intervals as are required. 

 These are then enclosed in an hermetically-sealed 

 fube, filled with perfectly dry sand, free from iron, 

 and brought to a common level above ground, where 

 they are Jirmly connected with binding-screws. The 

 cap carrying the binding-screws is of wood, three 

 inches greater in diameter than the tube, and painted 

 white to prevent any possibility of radiation from the 

 latter. The tube is then planted in the soil, wherever 

 needed, at the required depth, and such connection 

 made with the ofiice as may be desired. A duplicate 

 set of couples, exactly like those in the tube, is pro- 

 vided in case a test is necessary. The wires are of 

 the same size all the way through, and are No. 8 

 copper, insulated, and No. 8 telegraph wire. In the 

 office a second couple of the copper and iron wires is 

 carried down into a well of wood, having a diameter 

 of one inch and a quarter inside, with walls of tivo 

 inches thickness. This is pi'ovided with a stop-cock 

 and overflow attachment. From a convenient sup- 

 port, immediately above the mouth of the well, de- 

 pend a thermometer, the bulb of which is brouglit 

 to the same level with the couple, and two glass 

 tubes, which supply hot and cold water from reser- 

 voirs placed upon a shelf at convenient distance. A 

 switch-board is introduced into the line of copper 

 wire, while a very sensitive galvanometer is intro- 

 duced into the line of iron wire. A deflection of the 

 galvanometer-needle to the right or left is neutralized 

 by balancing the current witii the hot or cold water, 

 as the ease may require, and readings taken when 

 the needle comes to zero. I believe this is the first 

 attempt in this country to apply this apparatus to so 

 extended use. 



So far as observations have gone, the advantages 

 which this instrument possesses over mercurial ther- 

 mometers seem to be: 1. Greater accuracy; 2. Expe- 

 dition; 3. Greater durability; 4. Personal comfort, 

 and absence of those annoyances inseparably con- 

 nected with an instrument which must be drawn 

 from the ground in all kinds of weather, and at all 

 times of day and night. 



NOTES AND NEWS. 

 Since the leading article of this issue was ready 

 for the press, the circular issued by tlie council of 

 the British association to its members has come to 

 hand ; and from this it would appear that the meet- 

 ing in Montreal is regarded as substantially deter- 

 mined on, and that the time fixed for it will probably 



he the last week of August, or the first week of Sep- 

 tember, 1884. 



— The director of the Illinois state laboratory of 

 natural history. Dr. S. A. Forbes, to whose office 

 that of the state entomologist was recently attached, 

 has made a special report to the state board of edu- 

 cation, in which he states that the field-work of the 

 botanical and zoological survey of Illinois is substan- 

 tially done, and recommends the immediate prepara- 

 tion and publication of systematic reports on the 

 natural history of the state, having special reference 

 to economic ends. He estimates four volumes as 

 necessary to cover the zoology (exclusive of injurious 

 insects) and cryptogamic botany. No additional ap- 

 propriations appear to be asked for, but rather the 

 diversion of the ordinary funds from field-work to 

 publication. The board of education, which con- 

 trols the laboratory in Illinois, was so appreciative of 

 the excellent work which Dr. Forbes has been doing 

 as to vote him $500 more than he asked. AVe wish 

 Dr. Forbes success in his new departure, and shall 

 anticipate volumes of unusual interest. 



— Professor Weyenberg of Cordoba, who has writ- 

 ten upon many branches of zoology since he has 

 been in the Argentine Republic, is now engaged, also, 

 in publishing a manual of histology in Spanish, under 

 the title ' Principios histologicos.' 



— Mr. Dorfliiger, of the Milwaukee natural history 

 society, has recently made a minute examination of 

 the methods of installation and details of adminis- 

 tration in the National museum, with a view of 

 introducing the best features into the new museum 

 to be established by the city of Milwaukee, upon the 

 basis of the collections of the society. Mr. Diirfluger 

 will visit the natural history museums in the larger 

 eastern cities before returning to the west. 



— Major-Gen. Pitt-Rivers, of the English army, 

 has spent the most of his leisure in collecting the 

 most valuable anthropological museum in the world, 

 from one point of view. Discarding areas, races, 

 and epochs, his aim has be"en to collect from all 

 parts of the world the products and implements 

 of human industry in such numbers and variety as 

 to Illustrate the evolution of art. Having offered 

 this splendid collection to the university of Oxford 

 on condition that they would erect a building ade- 

 quate to contain and to display it properly. Gen. 

 Pitt-Rivers has the satisfaction of knowing tliat the 

 university authorities will comply with his request. 

 The delegates of the museum have elected Dr. E. 15. 

 Tylor to be keeper of the collection. 



— Under the title "Mittheilungen liber die ar- 

 beiteu der moor-versuchs-station in Bremen in den 

 jahren 1877-18S2 (von Dr. M. Fleischer)," the last 

 number of the Landwirthschaftliche jahrbiicher (xii., 

 no. li)2) contains an account of the founding of this . 

 station, which is devoted to the investigation of ques- 

 tions connected with the reclamation and cultivation 



