December 27, 1889.] 



SCIENCE. 



437 



the Cutting of Metals," " Thomson's Portable Magnetostatic 

 Electrical Measuring Instruments of Long Range," and " On 

 the Determination of the Elasticity Constants of Materials by the 

 Deflection Method," by Thomas Gray ; " Preliminary Report on 

 the Changes in Density of Wires on Stretching," by Thomas Gray 

 and C. Leo Mees ; " The Use of Two Mirrors for the Determina- 

 tion of Co-efficient of Expansion in Solids," and " Cause of Perio- 

 dicity in Thermometers as discussed by Professor W. A. Rogers," 

 by C. Leo Mees ; " On Sulphophenylpropionic Acid," by Chase 

 Palmer ; " Vapor Densities of the Volatile Metallic ' Halids,' " by P. 

 S.Baker; "Soap Analysis," by John F. Schnaible; "The Carbo- 

 hydrates of the Sweet- Potato," by W. E. Stone; "Oxidation by 

 Means of the Fixed Alkaline Hydrates," and " Action of Chloro- 

 form on Aluminium Chloride," by P. S. Baker; "Specific Re-ac- 

 tions for the Penta-Glucoses," by W. E. Stone ; " The ' Perkin's 

 Synthesis,' " by P. S. Baker ; " Atomic Weight of Oxygen," by W. 

 A. Noyes ; presidential address, by John C. Branner ; " The State 

 of the Crater of Kilauea in August, 1889," by O. P. Jenkins ; " The 

 Moraines of the Maumee Glacier," by C. R. Dryer; " Probable Fu- 

 ture of Petroleum in South-western Indiana," by C. A. Waldo; 

 ■"Observations on the Lakes of Indiana," by C. R. Dryer; "Some 

 Unusual Forms of Lime Carbonate Deposition," by U. F. Glick; 

 " The Top of the Matterhorn," by David S.Jordan; "The Uses 

 of Infinity and Zero in Algebra," by Rufus L. Green ; " Variation 

 in Plants from Unripe Seeds," by J. C. Arthur ; " Stone Charac- 

 ters of Nyssa," and " Snake Cactus," by Walter H. Evans ; " Dis- 

 tribution of Cornus," by John M. Coiilter ; " The Plants of Put- 

 nam County," by D. T. McDougal ; "The Composite of Vigo 

 ■County," by W. S. Blatchley ; " Germination'of the Macrospores of 

 Isoetes," by Douglas H. Campbell; "Some Structures in Epiphe- 

 gus," by E. M.Fisher; " Mycorhiza and Epiphegus," by John M. 

 Coulter ; " Some Remarkable Floral Variations," by C. W. Har- 

 .gitt ; " Some Stem Characters in Composite," by Harry D. Sea- 

 ton ; " Some Indiana Mildews," by M. A. Brannon ; " On Some 

 Plants New to the State List," by W. S. Blatchley ; " Method of 

 Embedding and Staining Delicate Vegetable Tissues," by Douglas 

 H. Campbell; "The National Herbarium," by John M. Coulter ; 

 " Plant Reproduction," by W. J. Spillmann ; " The Potable Water- 

 Supply of the City of New York," by A. E. Phillips ; " The Eh'ects 

 of Trusts," by Jeremiah W. Jenks ; " The Proposed Meeting of the 

 American Association for the Advancement of Science at Indian- 

 apolis," by Amos W. Butler. The treasurer will be found at the 

 secretary's desk before the beginning and at the close of each ses- 

 sion. Applications for membership will be found at the secretary's 

 desk. These should be filled up with the name of the applicant, 

 signed by two members, and given to the chairman of the member- 

 ship committee, to be appointed at the meeting. 



— The Academy of Sciences of Vienna, as we learn from Nature, 

 •has appointed Professor G. Niemann of Vienna, and Major Steffan 

 ■of Cassel, to be present as impartial witnesses at the excavations 

 at Hissarlik, begun on Nov. 25, under the direction of Dr. H. 

 ^chliemann and Dr. W. Dorpfeld. Capt. Ernst Botticher, who has 

 often called in question the utility of Dr. Schliemann's archjeologi- 

 cal investigations, has been requested to take part in the excava- 

 tions. 



— -Among recent appointments of graduates of the Johns Hop- 

 'kins University may be noted the following : G. H. Harold Ballard 

 (A.B., 1888), instructor in the Washington (D.C.) High School; 

 Gustav Bissing (Ph.D., 1885), principal examiner of Division A, 

 United States Patent Office ; Benjamin C.Burt (fellow, iS8o-8i), 

 docent in historical psychology, Clark University ; Florian Cajori 

 (graduate student, 1S83-S5), instructor in mathematics, Colorado 

 College; William H. Carpenter (fellow by courtesy, 1S81-S3), as- 

 sistant professor of German and the Scandinavian languages, 

 Columbia College; Albert S. Cook (associate, 1879-S1), professor 

 of English, Yale University ; John D. Epes (graduate student, 

 1888-89), associate professor of English, Centre College, Ky., 

 ■George Hempl (instructor, 1884-86), assistant professor of English, 

 University of Michigan ; William H. Hobbs (Ph.D., 1888), curator 

 of^the Geological and Mineralogical Museum, and lecturer on min- 

 eralogy and metallurgy in the- University of Wisconsin ; Cary T. 

 Hutchinson (Ph.D., 1889), electrician, Sprague Electric Company, 



New York City; James G. Hume (graduate student, 1887-88), 

 professor of mental and moral philosophy, University of Toronto ; 

 J. Edward Keeler (A.B., 1881), astronomer. Lick Observatory; 

 George T. Kemp (Ph.D., 1886), associate director of the Depart- 

 ment of Physiology and Experimental Therapeutics, Hoagland 

 Laboratory, Brooklyn, N.Y.; William S. Lemen (graduate student, 

 1886-87, 1888-89), instructor in biology, Indianapolis High School ; 

 Gonzalez Lodge (Ph.D., 1886), associate in Latin, Bryn Mawr Col- 

 lege ; Otto Lugger (curator of the Biological Museum, 1883-85), 

 professor of entomology and agriculture. University of Wisconsin ; 

 Robert W. Mahon (Ph.D., 1882), chemist in the Maryland exten- 

 sion of the Pennsylvania Steel Company, in charge of the labora- 

 tory of the company at Sparrow's Point, Md. ; C. Carroll Marden 

 (A.B., 1889), instructor in French and German, Norfolk (Va.) 

 Academy; Dice McLaren (graduate student, 1888-89), professor 

 of natural history, Maryland Agricultural College ; J. Playfair Mc 

 Murrich (Ph.D., 1885), docent in biology, Clark University; W, 

 Howard Miller (A.B., 1888), teacher, Centerville, Md. ; Charles W 

 Moulton (Ph.D., 1889), professor of chemistry, Shattuck School 

 Minnesota; Louis Rettger (A.B., 1888), associate in biology, Uni- 

 versity of Indiana; Thomas H. Spence (matriculate, 1886- 

 principal. Snow Hill (Md.) High School ; William K. Williams 

 (Ph.D., 1889), assistant in the Boston Athenaeum. 



— In a paper read at a meeting of the American Oriental Society 

 in this city in Octobor last. Dr. Cyrus Adler stated that the modern 

 Jewish synagogue has preserved in its ceremonial the use of the 

 shofar or cornet. This instrument is usually made of a ram's horn 

 straightened and flattened by heat. It is not only the solitary an- 

 cient musical instrument preserved in the Mosaic ritual, but is the 

 oldest form of wind instrument known to be retained in use in the 

 world. The mode of sounding it has been handed down by tradi- 



•tion. A portion of the liturgy for New Year's Day (on which it is 

 especially employed) refers particularly to the shofar. The Mishna 

 of Rosh-kash-shana (New Year) gives minute directions with re- 

 gard to this portion of the liturgy. It also furnishes instructions 

 as to the kind of horn to be used. A study of the biblical pas- 

 sages shows that it was employed for religious ceremonies, on the 

 day of the year of release, the new moon, the solemn feasts, and 

 that it would assemble all the children of Israel on the day of 

 judgment. It was principally used, however, as a war signal, to 

 call an army together, give warning of an invasion, sound a charge 

 or a release, announce a victory and the coronation of a king. It 

 is rarely mentioned as a musical instrument. Horns of similar 

 construction, with a simple opening at the end, were used by the 

 Etruscans and Greeks (made in bronze), by the aborigines of 

 Brazil (wood), and by the ancient and modern inhabitants of India 

 and the Africans of the Lower Kongo. Seven specimens of Indian 

 and African horns, of cow's horns, and elephant's tusks, are pre- 

 served in the United States National Museum. The conclusions 

 were : (i) The oldest wind instrument was the horn of an animal 

 with a natural cavity and a mouth-piece formed by cutting off the 

 end. Horns which required hollowing came into use later. (2) 

 These horns were originally used as signals in time of danger, and 

 for making announcements in general. (3) Many of these impor- 

 tant announcements had a religious character. The antiquity of 

 the instrument caused its permanent adoption for sacred purposes. 

 (4) The shofar, speaking especially of the instrument of that name, 

 was originally a trumpet made of the horn of a wild goat. Its 

 especial sacred character may be connected with the sacrificial use 

 made of the goat. (5) The etymology of the word is to be sought 

 in the Assyrian sappar, a kind of wild goat : Assyrian sappartit 

 meant originally the horn of a sappar, and it may afterwards have 

 been used for horn in general. 



— According to the annual report of the Department of Mines 

 of New South Wales, the aggregate value of the mineral products 

 of that colony up to the end of 188S amounted to £76,818,235. 

 The value of such products for 1SS8 was £3.879,833. The increase 

 in the output of coal, iron, and antimony for the year was consid- 

 erable, while there was a decrease in the output of gold and cop- 

 per. The number of miners engaged in gold-mining was 8.460. who 

 took out an average for each man of only about SiSo. This would 

 seem a small sum for a year's work, were it not for the fact that 



