SCIENCE 



Editorial Committee : S. Newcomb, Mathematics ; E. S. Woodwaed, Mechanics ; E. C. Pickeeino, 



Astronomy ; T. C. Mendenhall, Physics ; E. H. Thurston, Engineering ; Iea Eemsen, Chemistry ; 



Joseph Le Conte, Geology ; W. M. Davis, Physiography ; Heney F. Osboen, Paleontology ; 



W. K. Beooes, C. Hart Meeeiam, Zoology ; S. H. Scuddee, Entomology ; C. E. Bessey, 



N. L. Beitioij, Botany ; C. S. MiNOT, Embryology, Histology ; H. P. Bowditoh, 



Physiology ; J. S. Billings, Hygiene ; William H. Welch, Pathology ; 



J. McKeen Cattell, Psychology ; J. W. Powell, Anthropology. 



Peiday, Notembee 16, 1900. 



CONTENTS: 



The Administration of Government Scientific Work.. 737 



A Determination of the Nature and Velocity of 

 Gravitation : Dr. Eeginald A. Fessenden 740 



The Address of the President before the Section of 

 Geology of the British Association, I : Peofessoe 

 W. J.SoLLAs 745 



The Geological and Paleontological Collections in the 

 American 3Iuseum of Natural History : De. 

 Edmund Otis Hovey 757 



Scientific Books : — 

 Demoor onEvolutionby Atropy: PROFESSOR C.H. 

 ElGENMANN. Botch On Sounding the Ocean of 

 Air: Peofessor E. DeC. Ward. Wilson'' s 

 Free-hand Perspective ; Baker on Our New Pros- 

 perity : Professor E. H. Thurston. Gen- 

 eral. Books Received 760 



Scientific Joiirnals and Articles 763 



Societies and Academies : — 



The American Mathematical Society : Professor 

 P. N. Cole 764 



Discussion and Correspondence : — 



On the Superintendency and Organization of the 

 Coast Survey. Obseevee 765 



Notes on Inorganic Chemistry : J. L. H 766 



Recent Zoo-paleontology : — 

 A Rhinoceros with a complete set of Cutting Teeth. 

 Extinct Lemurs from Madagascar. Pareiasauri- 

 ans or TJieriodonts in Northern Russia. Fossil 

 Mammals from Egypt. Extinct Birds of Pata- 

 gonia. Relation of South American and Austra- 

 lian Ifarsupials. Large Turtles from the Fort 

 Pierre of South Dakota. Dinotherium Gigantis- 

 simum. Fossil Camels of Europe. The Devonian 

 Lamprey and. the Classification of the Fishes : 



Professor Heney F. Osboen 767 



Section of Horticulture and Botany of the Association 



of Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations. 770 

 The Annual Congress of the German Anthropolog- 

 ical Society 770 



Scientific Notes and News 771 



University and Educational News 776 



MSS. intended for publication and books, etc., intended 

 for review should be sent to the responsible editor, Profes- 

 sor .1. McKeen Cattell, Garrison-on-Hudson, N. Y. 



THE ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNMENT 

 SCIENTIFIC WORK. 



A coEEESPONDENT, whose letter is printed 

 in another column, calls attention to the 

 oft-recurring questions of the superintend- 

 ency and organization of the U. S. Coast 

 and Geodetic Survey. Whatever may be 

 the merits or demerits of the considerations 

 adduced by this correspondent with refer- 

 ence to matters of detail, it is evident that 

 the essentials of these questions are quite 

 as important now as they have been at any 

 time during the past half-century. These 

 essentials are, in fact, not limited in their 

 application to any one scientific bureau of 

 the government, but are of equal impor- 

 tance to all of them. The question of re- 

 organization of the Ifaval Observatory is 

 now pending, after a long and painstaking 

 investigation by a committee specially dele- 

 gated to consider the matter ; and the ques- 

 tion of the establishment of a new bureau 

 which may take charge of the indispensa- 

 ble business of national standards is likely 

 to come up in the near future. The mode 

 of selection of a head, or director, of any 

 one of these scientific bureaus is, then, or 

 at least ought to be, a matter of concern to 

 all men of science ; for whatever mode is 



