802 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XIX. No. 490. 



in twenty-four hours, und a narrow slit is 

 thereby directed towards the sun. A hood, 

 funnel-shaped, protects the slit from diffused 

 light, and allows of an error of about half an 

 hour in the clock before sunlight is cut off 

 from the slit. The drum carrying the sensi- 

 tive paper travels, without rotation, along the 

 axis of the cylinder, so that the record of a 

 number of days may be obtained, one below 

 the other. The advantages of this instrument 

 are as follows : The chloride of silver paper 

 makes possible a standard of intensity of sun- 

 shine which can be reproduced; the same size 

 of paper is used at all seasons, and the instru- 

 ment is serviceable for the sunshine of polar 

 as well as of temperate latitudes. 



MOUNTAIN SICKNESS. 



In Mr. D. W. Freshfield's book, 'Round 

 Kangchenjunga,' it appears that those per- 

 sons who suffered from mountain sickness 

 were most affected between 15,000 and 16,000 

 feet, and that there was no increase of 

 symptoms iip to 20,000 feet. One member of 

 the party ' had a constitution on which the 

 only effect of altitudes of 20,000 feet was to 

 increase his appetite and consequently his 

 weight.' Mr. Freshfield was able to walk 

 from 13,000 to 16,000 feet without halting, 

 and sees no obstacle, so far as the physiolog- 

 ical effects of diminished pressure are con- 

 cerned, to an ascent of loftier mountains than 

 Kangchenjunga. 



CLIMATE OP CHILE. 



A PAPER on ' The Economic Geography of 

 Chile,' by J. Russell Smith, in the Bulletin of 

 the American Geographical Society, XXXVT., 

 1904, 1-21, lays emphasis on the striking cli- 

 matic contrasts between the northern desert 

 provinces and the southern cool and rainy 

 districts within the latitudes of the prevailing 

 westerly winds. Between the deserts of the 

 north and the forests of the south lie the agri- 

 cultural regions of central Chile. Were it 

 not for the mineral wealth, the great seaports 

 and settlements of northern Chile would never 

 have been developed, for the climatic condi- 

 tions are distinctly hostile to human occupa- 

 tion. In the south, where the abundant rain- 

 fall favors the growth of trees, future deforesta- 

 tion will open the land more and more for set- 

 tlement, but ' the economic center of gravity, 

 and the home of four fifths or more of Chilean 

 population, is, and must continue to be, in 

 the central or agricultural region.' These 

 large facts of the climatic control of settle- 

 ment and occupation in Chile can not fail to 

 impress themselves upon even the most casual 

 observer who has the opportunity, which in 

 1897 came to the compiler of these notes, of 

 making a climatic cross-section along the 

 west coast of South America by taking the 

 voyage from the Straits of Magellan to 

 Panama. 



WRECKS AND CASUALTIES ON THE GREAT LAKES 

 IN 1903. 



According to the ' Meteorological Chart of 

 the Great Lakes, Summary for the Season of 

 1903,' by A. J. Henry and N. B. Conger 

 (Weather Bureau No. 298, 1904), twenty-four 

 vessels became total losses tlirough stress of 

 weather. The loss due to fog was $277,500. 

 The number of lives lost through stormy 

 weather was forty-nine. R. DeC. Ward. 



PROGRESS OF THE CONCILIUM BIBLIO- 

 GRAPHICUM. 



Dr. Herbert Haviland Field, director of 

 the Concilium, sends us an advance copy of 

 his report, the most encouraging by far which 

 he has been able to issue. 



The number of cards issued since the 

 foundation of the Concilium is 12,942,000. 



The principal features of the progress of 

 the past year are set forth in this very inter- 

 esting report. 



Of especial interest to Americans is the es- 

 tablishment of a set of the complete reference 

 catalogue in the public room of the American 

 Museum of Natural History, where it will not 

 only be accessible to students, but from which 

 immediate orders can be filled. This arrange- 

 ment has been brought about by conference 

 between the director of the concilium and 

 Director Bumpus of the museum. 



