Maech 20, 1908] 



SCIENCE 



475 



purposes before large classes, tliey can be used 

 in work with small classes with excellent 

 results. The price is 50 Marks; the agent, 

 Dietrich Eeimer (Ernst Vohsen), in Berlin. 

 There have been few additions to the teaching 

 equipment in meteorology and climatology in 

 recent years which are of more value than 

 Kassner's meteorological globes. It is to be 

 hoped that many of them will find places in 

 our geographical laboratories, both in schools 

 and in colleges. 



WATERSPOUTS ON THE SWISS LAKES 



Professor J. FRiJH has recently published 

 an interesting paper on the waterspouts of the 

 Swiss Lakes (" Wasserhosen auf Schweizer- 

 seen," Jahresher. geogr.-ethnogr. Oesells. 

 Zurich, 1906-07, 105-127), in which a detailed 

 account is given of the waterspout of June 

 19, 1905, on the Lake of Zug. This spout was 

 18-20 meters in diameter, and stirred up the 

 waters of the lake within an area of 100 

 meters, more or less. The whirling column 

 was hollow; had a left-handed rotation; was 

 more than half a mile high. Its velocity of 

 progression was somewhat over seven miles 

 an hour, in an easterly direction. Several 

 photographs were taken of this waterspout, 

 three of which are reproduced in Professor 

 Friih's article. The author has also collected 

 accounts of what he believes to be well- 

 authenticated waterspouts observed on the 

 Swiss lakes. There are 22 in all, noted on 

 nine lakes. Of these waterspouts, all were 

 observed by day, and 14 of the 22 occurred 

 in the (meteorological) summer. There is no 

 evidence of any value to the effect that any of 

 these spouts were produced by the meeting 

 of winds coming from different directions. 



A HYGROSCOPE OF A UNIQUE PATTERN 



In Symons's Monthly Meteorological Maga- 

 zine for November, 1907, John Aitken de- 

 scribes a simple hygroscope which he has used 

 for many years. The petal of one of the so- 

 called everlasting flowers is attached to a stiff 

 hair, which serves as a pointer, and the petal 

 and hair together are fastened on a dial, set 

 in a metal case. The instrument is about as 



sensitive as a hair hygroscope; is more com- 

 pact, and much cheaper. An illustration 

 shows the construction of the hygroscope. 



E. DeC. Ward 

 Harvard University 



THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS 

 FOR THE REPRESSION OF ADULTERA- 

 TION OF ALIMENTARY AND PHAR- 

 MACEUTICAL PRODUCTS 

 The First International Congress for the 

 Eepression of the Adulteration of Alimentary 

 and Pharmaceutical Products will be held in 

 Geneva in September, 1908. As described in 

 the preliminary statement issued by the con- 

 gress, it has been felt for many years that 

 such a movement was desirable and necessary, 

 but more general matters occupied the limited 

 time of the international congresses, and while 

 these subjects were taken up among others, 

 they did not receive undivided attention. The 

 feeling that such a congress is necessary has 

 been crystallizing for a quarter of a century, 

 and at the Fourteenth Congress of Hygiene 

 and Demography, in Berlin, 1907, the Uni- 

 versal Society of the Geneva White Cross con- 

 ceived the thought of initiative action. The 

 plan for the first meeting is an exhibition of 

 unadulterated products, and the consideration 

 of this occasion will be the "Defining of 

 Unadulterated Food." In every case defini- 

 tion will be the basis of each decision, estab- 

 lishing a "codex alimentarius." It is de- 

 sired by the committee of organization that 

 manufacturers, chemists and lavfyers who are 

 interested in this question, should unite in 

 forming these definitions. 



Dr. H. W. Wiley, Bureau of Chemistry, 

 Washington, D. C, has been asked to under- 

 take the organization of the American com- 

 mittee. He hopes to associate with him those 

 in the various states who have charge of the 

 application of the food and drug laws, tO' 

 whom he has written individually, inasmuch 

 as these should be represented if possible as 

 a whole. For the benefit of the chemists of 

 the country at large, as well as others of every 

 class who desire to identify themselves with 

 this movement, the statutes of the congress 

 are reproduced herewith: 



