312 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVII. No. ( 



of Cladodontidse Gladodus striatus. As the 

 name striatus was preoccupied, having been 

 applied by Agassiz to a species of Gladodus 

 from the Devonian, I suggest that the new- 

 species be named Gladodus compressus. The 

 following is the original description. 



Gladodus Kompressus 



Teeth of medium size, base of type speci- 

 men 14 min. wide by about 5 mm. long, tooth 

 broader than high. Outline of base subellip- 

 tical, extremities subangular, posterior border 

 with stronger convexity than anterior; under 

 surface smooth, upper surface with a narrow 

 furrow just behind the cones running parallel 

 with the posterior margin of the base, a strong 

 ridge between this furrow and the posterior 

 margin. Middle cone low, broad and thin near 

 base, twice as broad as thick, with sharp cut- 

 ting edges ; outer lateral denticles broad, thin, 

 and very low, one third to one fourth height of 

 median cone; betweeij. lateral denticles and 

 median cone a high narrow ridge that bears 

 two minute denticles on one side of the me- 

 dian cone but none on the other side in the 

 type specimen; median cone and lateral den- 

 ticles all marked with almost vertical, narrow, 

 sharp-crested ridges; spaces between ridges 

 about twice as broad as ridges. 



G. compressus differs from G. euglyphceus, 

 the nearest allied species, in its much larger 

 size, much greater breadth of median cone, 

 greater breadth and less height of outer lateral 

 denticles, smaller number of lateral denticles, 

 high ridge between outer denticles and main 

 cone, and in the greater approximation of the 

 ridges on the teeth. 



Formation and Locality — Salem limestone, 

 Paynter's Hill, Ind. 



Type specimen No. 7709 — 1 American Mu- 

 seum of Natural History. 



E. B. Branson 



Geological Department, 

 Obeelin College 



the teem " therm " 

 To THE Editor of Science : I have noted in 

 the recent issues of Science discussions in 

 regard to the use of the term " Therm " as a 

 simple way of expressing 1 million gram 

 calories. 



While this old term used in a new sense 

 may simplify an expression, it, however, to 

 my mind makes it more complicated as far as 

 its actual meaning is concerned. 



The trend to-day in all scientific matters, 

 and primarily it is the object of research, is to 

 bring all phenomena and facts down to a 

 common basis of understanding so that as far 

 as possible one can tell at a glance what the 

 subject is about. 



The arbitrary use of a term without the 

 sanction or adoption by the majority of per- 

 sons or countries engaged in research of the 

 kind to which the term is to be applied, tends 

 more to confuse than to simplify matters. 



I am heartily in accord with the sug- 

 gestion for the term kilo-calorie, mega-calorie, 

 etc., made by A. T. Jones in Science of 

 January 3, 1908. Lewis W. Eetzer 



Maryland Agricultural 

 Experiment Station, 

 College Park, Md. 



SPECIAL ARTICLES 

 notes on the occurrence of the recently 



DESCRIBED GEM MINERAL, BENITOITE 



During the course of the writer's investiga- 

 tions in the Coalinga oil field, Fresno County, 

 California, the past summer, he was accorded 

 the opportunity of examining the mine from 

 which the new gem mineral, benitoite, is ob- 

 tained. At the time Dr. Louderbaek^ de- 

 scribed the mineral, he had examined only a 

 limited amount of material and had had no 

 opportunity of visiting the type locality. The 

 following notes on the field relations of the 

 gem are therefore offered as an addendum to 

 his paper. The writer wishes to extend his 

 thanks to the owners of the mine, Messrs. E. 

 H. Dallas and L. B. Hawkins, the latter one 

 of the discoverers of the mineral, for permis- 

 sion to visit the mine, for the gift of a repre- 

 sentative series of specimens, and for other 

 courtesies. 



Benitoite, according to Louderback and 

 ' " Benitoite, a New California Gem Mineral," 

 by George Davis Louderback, witli chemical an- 

 alyses by Walter C. Blasdale: Bull. Dept. Geol., 

 Univ. Calif., Vol. V., No. 9, pp. 149-153, July, 

 1907. 



