896 



iiGIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXIII. No. 858 



Introductory Notes on Quantitative Ghemical 

 Analysis. By Charles William Foulk, 

 Professor of Analytical Chemistry in the 

 Ohio State University. Second edition, re- 

 vised and enlarged. Columbus, Ohio. 1910. 

 This is a very detailed but simple manual 

 for college work in quantitative analysis. 130 

 out of 239 pages are given to general prin- 

 ciples and methods. Detailed description of 

 14 practical analyses occupies the remainder 

 of the volume. 



E. E. 



Qualitative Chemical Analysis, Organic and 

 Inorganic. By F. Mollwo Peekin, Ph.D., 

 Late Head of the Chemistry Department, 

 Borough Polytechnic Institute, London. 

 Third edition. New York, Longmans, 

 Green, & Co. 



This is an excellent manual of systematic, 

 qualitative, inorganic analysis followed by a 

 manual of qualitative organic analysis; the 

 latter necessarily consists chiefly of special 

 tests. It will doubtless be found useful. 



E. E. 



Publications of the Astronomical and Astro- 

 physical Society of America. Vol. 1, pp. 

 xxvii + 347. Ann Arbor, Mich. 1910. 

 This volume, published by authorization of 

 the society at its tenth annual meeting in 

 1909, is devoted (after a brief introductory 

 sketch) to accounts of its meetings, including 

 the two informal conferences which preceded 

 its organization, and to abstracts of the papers 

 presented. The last occupy by far the greater 

 part of the work. To review them would be 

 practically to give an account of the astro- 

 nomical work done in this country in the last 

 twelve years. 



Perhaps the strongest impression left after 

 glancing over them is of the advance that has 

 been made, both in the means and results of 

 observation, since the first conference was 

 held at the dedication of the Yerkes Observa- 

 tory in 1897. 



To the members of the society nothing is 

 likely to be more prominent in memory than 

 the inspiration resulting from its meetings. 



with their abundant opportunity for confer- 

 ence and discussion, and the cordial hospi- 

 tality shown at the various places of meeting. 

 Henry Norris Eussell 

 Peinceton University 



SPECIAL ARTICLES 

 THE " DILUTE " FORMS OF YELLOW MICE* 



A MODIFIED variety of the dark-eyed black 

 mouse exists in the dilute black or " blue " of 

 the fanciers. When the hairs of these dilute 

 black animals are examined microscopically 

 and compared with those of ordinary or in- 

 tense blacks, it will be found that a reduction 

 in the number of the pigment granules has 

 taken place. It is not a large reduction, but is 

 nevertheless sufficiently pronounced to be 

 recognized with considerable ease. The same 

 relation is observable between the intense and 

 the dilute varieties of brown, known as 

 " chocolate " and " silver-fawn," respectively, 

 as well as in the corresponding varieties of 

 black-agouti and brown-agouti. 



The hairs of cream, or light yellow, mice, 

 as compared with those of ordinary yellow 

 mice, show, when examined microscopically, a 

 very pronounced reduction in the amount of 

 yellow pigment. This reduction is clearly 

 more complete than that seen in the dilute 

 black or dilute brown forms. Moreover, the 

 last two forms named are remarkably con- 

 stant in their degree of dilution, while cream 

 forms may vary through deep creams to light 

 yellows and from these to deep red-orange 

 forms showing a full complement of pigment 

 granules. 



It is known that in the case of brown and 

 black the dilute condition behaves as an inde- 

 pendent unit-character, and so can be trans- 

 ferred in crosses from brown to black or vice 

 versa. The dilute condition is also recessive 

 to the intense, in crosses, so that dilute ani- 

 mals bred together produce only dilute off- 

 spring. 



The question now arises whether " cream " 



' Contributions from the Laboratory of Genet- 

 ics, Bussey Institution, Harvard University, No. 

 11. 



