116 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXV. No. 629 



to hold the chair of physics and astronomy 

 until 1899, when the infirmities of old age 

 necessitated his retirement with the rank of 

 colonel. From that time until his recent 

 death he lived in strict seclusion, retaining 

 his connection with the institution as pro- 

 fessor emeritus. 



Personally Colonel Brooke was in his old 

 age somewhat taciturn, retiring and singu- 

 larly indifferent to popular recognition. The 

 extraordinary influence which he exerted upon 

 the Japanese shows that in his young man- 

 hood he was much more communicative, and 

 that he was the possessor of great force, both 

 of mind and of character. His ideals were 

 lofty, and his fidelity to these and to his 

 friends was unswerving. On coming to Lex- 

 ington in 1866 he came into a congenial 

 coterie that included such men as Robert E. 

 Lee, Custis Lee, Pendleton, Letcher, William- 

 son and Maury, all of whom had held high 

 office in the Confederacy. Among these inti- 

 mates he was genial, full of humor and full 

 of resources. Despite his modesty he was 

 positive, a good hater, an intolerant foe to 

 shiftiness and sham. In the performance of 

 duty he was uncompromising to such an ex- 

 tent as to appear at times eccentric. These 

 qualities became more pronounced with ad- 

 vancing years, and as death carried away one 

 after another of his old friends he gradually 

 became silent and exclusive. But to a willing 

 ear he had a plenty to give, and the present 

 writer remembers with pleasure his first inter- 

 view with the solitary graybeard to whom he 

 had just introduced himself. The old genial 

 spirit came back as he became eloquent over 

 his reminiscences of the Sea of Japan. Dur- 

 ing the last few years he has rarely ever been 

 seen or heard, and the arrival of death was 

 so gentle as to be scarcely recognized. 



W. LeConte Stevens 



PUBLICATIONS OF TEE AMERICAN 

 ETHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



Announcement. — The American Ethno- 

 logical Society is about to begin a series of 

 publications which is to contain authentic 

 material collected among native tribes of 



America. The volumes are to appear at irre- 

 gular intervals. 



Notwithstanding the large amount of work 

 that has been done on American ethnology, 

 comparatively little material has been col- 

 lected regarding the customs, beliefs, and ideas 

 of the natives in their own words. Most of 

 our collections have been obtained indirectly 

 through the assistance of interpreters, or are 

 discussions of information collected from in- 

 dividuals more or less familiar with English 

 or with the trade jargon. 



Knowledge possessed by the Indians is of 

 great importance as well to the ethnologist as 

 to the student of the early history of the 

 American continent. For this reason au- 

 thentic records of information given by the 

 Indians seem to be of prime importance for a 

 thorough study of these subjects. 



The American Ethnological Society, in be- 

 ginning its series of publications, is desirous 

 of collecting and preserving for future use 

 such records, and it is hoped that this under- 

 taking will meet with the support of the 

 public. 



The following volumes of the publications 

 of the American Ethnological Society are in 

 preparation : 



Vol. I. William Jones, Ph.D., research 

 assistant, Carnegie Institution, Fox Texts. 

 In press. A collection of historical tales, 

 myths, and accounts of personal religious ex- 

 periences collected among the Fox Indians, a 

 branch of the Algonquian stock. Recorded 

 in original text, and published with transla- 

 tions. 



Vol. II. Edward Sapir, ' The Upper Chi- 

 nook.' In press. An account of the Chinook 

 Indians of the Upper Columbia Eiver, and a 

 collection of myths and personal accounts. 

 Original texts and translations. 



Vol. III. Roland B. Dixon, Ph.D., in- 

 structor in anthropology. Harvard University, 

 ' Myths of the Maidu Indians of California.' 

 Vol. IV. Franz Boas, Ph.D., professor of 

 anthropology, Columbia University, ' Myths 

 of the Tsimshian Indians of British Co- 

 lumbia.' 



Vol. V. Roland B. Dixon, Ph.D., pro- 

 fessor of anthropology. Harvard University, 



