June 15, 18S3. 



SCIENCE. 



543 



it was a fine adult male, eight feet in length, weigh- 

 ing very nearly one thousand pounds. The speci- 

 men was purchased by Dr. G. E. Manigault for the 

 museum at Charleston, S.C., where it is now pre- 

 served. 



That this species is prone to wander far from its 

 usual haunts — the icefields eastward of Newfound- 

 land and northward — is attested by its capture, not 

 only near New- York City, but also at Cambridge, 

 Md., in an arm of Chesapeake Bay, as recorded some 

 twenty years ago by Professor Cope. The present 

 record, however, is the first of the capture of a posi- 

 tively identified example of any seal on the New- 

 England coast other than the common small harbor 

 seal (Phoca vitulina). J. A. Allen. 



Flight of the flying-fish. 

 On a recent trip from New York to Galveston, 

 with the weather at the start cold and chilly, wind 

 north-east, and ending in the Gulf with clear sunny 

 days and summer breezes, there was every oppor- 

 tunity afforded for watching the illght of flying-fish. 

 The first fish were seen two days out of New York ; 

 and on every day thereafter, save on one when off 

 the coast of Florida, numerous brown pelicans were 

 observed. Probably the flying-fi?h found the atmos- 

 phere a trifle heavy, flitthig about with pelicans for 

 interested spectators, and attended strictly to their 

 domestic duties. The act of flying is somewhat 

 startling, the fish emerging with much energy, and, 

 from the very start, buzzing its wings like ahumming- 

 blrd ; and in no instance did the buzzing cease until 

 the fish disappeared in the sea at the end of its flight. 

 The longest flight observed continued, without any 

 contact with the water, for nine seconds; estimated 

 ■distance, six hundred to eight hundred feet. In 

 some cases the flight was nearly horizontal ; in most 

 cases, however, it was arched vertically. Flying 

 across the wind, it was noticed that contact with the 

 water did not apparently retard the movement of the 

 fish in the air. Some of them made four contacts 

 before finishing the fliglit. The wind had some 

 effect upon the direction and character of the flying; 

 but fish were noticed going with the wind, and cross- 

 ing it in every direction, and a few flying directly 



against it; A being the starting-points; B, the end, 

 and the line of flight being shown as it appeared 

 from a point in a vertical plane connecting A and B. 

 Geobgb J. Caknet. 



Lowell, Mass. 



Sun's radiation and geologic climate. 



It seems to me that Mr. Warring, in his objection 

 (SciicxcE, p. ;^9.")) to the assumption that the dissi- 

 pation of solar energy from loss of heat diminishes 

 the supply of sun-heat received by the earth, has 



overlooked the very important factor of the variable 

 area of the contracting sun. To make this clear, 

 let 



Q, = Quantity of heat incident normally on a unit 

 surface in a unit of time, at the earth's dis- 

 tance from the sun. 

 R — Radiating or heat-emitting power of each physi- 

 cal point of the sun. 

 A — Area of projected surface emitting heat normally 

 = Area of great circle of sun regarded as a 

 sphere. 

 Then evidently, at a given distance, we have, Q varies 

 as JK X ^ : hence, taking the example cited from New- 

 comb (as A varies directly as the square of the sun's 

 dia7Tieter), if the temperature of the condensed gas- 

 eous mass is doubled by contraction to one-half its 

 primitive diameter, its area (or A) would be reduced 

 to one- fourth its original area; so that, notwith- 

 standing the assumed augmentation of temperature 

 of the sun, the supply of heat received by the earth 

 (or B,y.A) would not be increased, unless B, aug- 

 mented in a ratio greater than the square of the 

 temperature. It is difficult to assign precisely what 

 function R is of the temperature of the radiating 

 body: some physicists (Rossetti) make it propor- 

 tional to the square of the absolute temperature; 

 while others (Stephan) make it as high as the fourth 

 power of the absolute temperature. 



John LeConte. 



Sphere anemometer. 



I am rather amused to see in Science, p. 228, that 

 Dr. Sprung of Hamburg has re-invented an ane- 

 mometer well known (but not used) in this country; 

 viz., Howlett's. Dr. Sprung, and all who wish to 

 help forwards our knowledge of wind-force, should 

 begin by making themselves acquainted with what 

 has already been done. In the (Quarterly jmirnal of 

 the ineLeorolouical society, viii., p. 161, will be found 

 an Historical sketch of aneraometry and anemometers, 

 by J. K. Laughton, M.A., F.R.G.S., president mete- 

 orological society, and in it will be found notices of 

 about two hundred patterns. The full description of 

 Howlett's is given In tlie Proceedings British meteoro- 

 logical society, iv., p. IBl; but even Howlett was not 

 the first to use the sphere; for in Mr. Laughton's 

 address he remarks, " The sphere as a pressure-plate 

 at the end of a swinging rod had been suggested, 

 and possibly used, many years before Mr. Howlett's 

 time, as a rude anemoscope. It is mentioned vaguely 

 by Hiilse (AWjemeine maschinen e.ncyclopiXdie, luider 

 anemometer) in 1841, and is said by Mr. Bender 

 (Proc. inst. civil engineers, March 14, 1882) to have 

 been used by Parrot; but this I have not been able 

 to verify." G. J. Symons, F.R.S. 



62 Camden Square, London N.W., 

 May 19, 18S3. 



SCIENCE AND RELIGION. 



Studies in science and religion. By G. Frederick 

 Wright. Andover, Draper, 1882. 164-390 p. 

 16°. 



We hail the appearance of a book on this 

 subject b3' one who is an earnest worker in 

 both theology and science as a sign that the 

 unnatural conflict between these two great 

 departments of thought vyill speedily abate, 

 and their differences be adjusted on a rational 

 basis. The conflict is, in our opinion, the 



