August 11, 1911] 



SCIENCE 



187 



these centers may have at his disposal all 

 recorded observations of the phenomena of 

 earlier outbreaks or periods of quiet. During 

 a residence of several years in Hawaii, Pro- 

 fessor Hitchcock has sought to complete the 

 record of the active volcanoes by search of all 

 available sources of information and by per- 

 sonal study of many features. The book 

 inider review is the result of this research. 

 Its object is said to be "to describe correctly 

 the phenomena connected with the discharges 

 of molten lava from the two great Hawaiian 

 volcanoes — Kilauea and Mauna Loa." " It 

 is presiimed that all the Hawaiian volcanoes 

 throughout the archipelago have been devel- 

 oped in a similar manner. . . ." 



From this point of view the work is the 

 most satisfactory source of information on the 

 subject, because compiled with care and with 

 the aim of completeness. 



The work is arranged in four parts. Part 

 I., of 55 pages, is called Physiography of the 

 Hawaiian Archipelago. Here may be found 

 a brief but desirable sketch of the character 

 and relations of the reefs and low islands 

 which stretch away for more than a thousand 

 miles to the northwest of Niihau, the most 

 westerly inhabited island of the main group. 

 In this part is found, also, the entire descrip- 

 tion, physiographic and otherwise, of Kauai, 

 Oahu, Molokai, Maui and even of Hawaii, 

 exclusive of the active volcanoes. Consid- 

 erable space, relatively, is given to the stratig- 

 raphy of the water-bearing tuffs and coraline 

 sands and limestones in the vicinity of Hono- 

 lulu, to the study of which the author has 

 given much attention. 



Parts II. and III. are devoted, respectively, 

 to the great volcanoes of Mauna Loa and 

 Kilauea, and consist, as above indicated, 

 chiefly of the compiled record of exploration 

 and observation. Valuable as this record is, 

 it serves to emphasize the fact that up to the 

 present time little attempt has been made to 

 study the phenomena displayed in other than 

 a rather superficial manner. The actual phys- 

 ics of basaltic magma, the gaseous emanations 

 accompanying it, the chemical composition of 

 special magmas exhibiting certain phenom- 



ena, and the whole vast problem of volcanic 

 energy, have scarcely been touched by ob- 

 servations thus far made at these volcanoes. 

 It is to be hoped that some plan for more 

 thorough investigations may be carried out. 

 The field is certainly a most promising one. 



Part IV. reviews The Hawaiian Type of 

 Volcanic Action by summarizing the phenom- 

 ena observed and citing the views of various 

 authors as to their explanation. The com- 

 parison of Lunar and Llawaiian physical fea- 

 tures by Pickering is specially noted. 



In an appendix (IT pages) are given notes 

 on earthquakes in Hawaii, the origin of the 

 moon, the use of the spectroscope, a table of 

 analyses of Hawaiian lavas, and biographical 

 notes of explorers of the islands. 



The second edition presents a supplement 

 of eight pages, containing further data on 

 certain eruptions, a criticism of W. T. Brig- 

 ham's volume " The Volcanoes of Kilauea and 

 Mauna Loa,"' and a list of errata, which is 

 by no means complete. 



The illustrations of this work are chiefly 

 half-tone reproductions of photographs, which 

 give an excellent idea of the volcanoes and 

 their lava forms, and valuable sketch maps of 

 the craters at several stages of development. 

 The book is attractively gotten up, well 

 printed, and is a credit to the enterprise of 

 the Honolulu newspaper house which has pub- 

 lished it. 



Whitman Cross 



SPECIAL AETICLES 



THE PERMEABILITY OF LIVING CELLS TO SALTS IN 



PURE AND BALANCED SOLUTIONS 



Overton performed experiments on Spirogyra 

 and other plant cells and later upon various 

 animal cells and came to the conclusion that 

 only those substances penetrate which are sol- 

 uble in lipoid. His criterion of penetration 

 is simple and precise. If a solution plasmo- 

 lyzes a cell and the protoplast does not subse- 

 quently expand if left in the solution it is 

 clear that the dissolved substance does not 

 penetrate. If it penetrated it would gradually 



- ' ' Memoirs of the Bernice PauaM Bisliop Mu- 

 seum, ' ' Honolulu, 1909. 



