418 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. I., No. 15. 



mens of Indian and Eskimo fisheiy implements 

 which thej' include. The latter collection, which 

 attracted much attention among the German 

 anthropologists in 1880, has received many 

 important additions through tire explorations 

 of JNIessrs. Dall, Bean, and Nelson, in Alaska. 



Section E, which relates to the fishermen 

 themselves, contains at least one collection 

 interesting to the ethnologist. It illustrates 

 the cultus of the American fisherman. Here 

 are shown the games he plaj's, the books 

 he reads, the products of the arts he affects, 

 and the musical instruments upon which he 

 performs. In another place is shown a series 

 of large photographs from life, of fishermen of 

 different nationalities emploj'ed in the fisheries 

 of the United States. 



The collection of biological works in the 

 section devoted to literature forms an epitome 

 of the development of the studj^ of aquatic 

 life in America. The writings of the ear- 

 lier biologists — the elder Agassiz, Holbrook, 

 Storer, Girard, Stimpson, and many others — 

 are displayed ; and in the list of special con- 

 tributors are the names of Agassiz, Goode, 

 Faxon, Dall, Jordan, Farlow, Rjder, Bean, 

 Verrill, Lockington, and of manj- other promi- 

 nent Ameiican biologists of the present daj^ 

 It is much to be hoped that these volumes of 

 papers, which have been gotten together with 

 much labor both bj' the authors and the com- 

 mission, may find their way, at the close of the 

 exhibit, to the library of the commission or 

 of the national museum. 



Apparatus for scientific investigation of the 

 waters is displa3'ed not only by the fish com- 

 mission, but by the coast-survej' and signal- 

 bureau as well. The latest improvements in 

 sounding and dredging apparatus are repre- 

 sented, and the newest devices in barometers, 

 thermometers, and other similar instruments. 

 Among these are Professor Hilgard's recently 

 invented densimeter and salinometer, Lieut. 

 Tanner's deep-sea sounding-machine, Mr. 

 Benedict's rake-dredge for annelids, and nu- 

 merous others, many of which form part of 

 the equipment of the fish-commission steamer 

 Albatross. 



In the manifold forms of apparatus for hatch- 

 ing fishes, the far-seeing zoologist will see 

 something more than machines for increasing 

 the supph' of food-fishes. Important though 

 the}' be in that connection, the}' will appear in 

 a new light as delicate instruments for embrj-- 

 ological and phj'siological research, when a 

 greater number of our ichthj-ologists shall have 

 turned their attention from the taxonom}' to 

 the natural history of fishes. 



We have not space to dwell upon the col- 

 lections representing the various products of 

 the fisheries ; but there is much in the elaborate 

 display of fish and fertilizers, of glues and 

 oils, of leathers and fui's and sponges, and 

 the innumerable commodities which form the 

 harvest of the seas, to attract the attention, 

 and busy the thought, of the jDolitical econo- 

 mist and business-man. 



It is too soon to saj' what rank the Ameri- 

 can division raa.y attain in the exhibition ; but 

 one may be safe in remarking that there is no 

 country in the world in which anj' of the great 

 explorative industries have been subjected to 

 a more thorough investigation from both a 

 scientific and economic point of view than the 

 fisheries of the United States are now under- 

 going at the hands of the national fishery 

 commission. 



NOTE RELATING TO A PECULIARITY 

 DISTINGUISHING ANNEALED FROM 

 UNANNEALED IRON. 



The writer has had occasion recently to 

 stud}' the effect of prolonged stress upon the 

 various materials in common use in the arts, 

 and, among others, upon the finer qualities of 

 iron. The well-known experiment of Vieat, 

 made a half-centurj' ago, had never, so far as 

 the writer was awaire, been repeated. The 

 extreme importance of the results obtained 

 by him had apparently not been realized by 

 either physicists or engineers ; and it seemed 

 advisable that the experiment be repeated, 

 and, should the results obtained by Vicat be 

 again reached, that the attention of both scien- 

 tific and practical men should be again called 

 to the subject. The repetition of Vicat's ex- 

 periment has not onlj' confirmed his conclu- 

 sion, but has led to the discover}' of a new 

 and important, as well as peculiarh" interesting, 

 diflTerence in the effect of prolonged stress 

 upon annealed and unannealed iron. 



In the autumn of the year 1881, the writer 

 procured two lots of the best Swedish iron 

 wire from Mr. William Hewitt, the vice-presi- 

 dent of the Trenton iron and steel works, who 

 very kindly had the wire drawn for the pur- 

 piose. This wire was divided into two parts, 

 one being carefully annealed, the other being 

 left hard-drawn as it came from the bloclis. 

 These were tested in tlie usual way, and it 

 was found that the hard wire had about double 

 the strength of the soft. Nine pieces were 

 taken from each reel for test, under prolonged 

 static stress, and were suspended from hooks, 

 in the study of the writer, attached to springs, 



