520 
tember 19th, reached a height of 9,386 feet 
above the summit of the hill, this being the 
highest ascension thus far made. The kites 
carried an aluminium box with instruments for 
recording temperature, pressure and humidity, 
and the records are a further demonstration 
that kites may become a valuable addition to 
the methods of meteorology. 
A MICROTOME for making sections of the en- 
tire human brain is being constructed by Messrs. 
Bausch and Lomb on the pattern of the ‘auto- 
matic precision microtome,’ recently described 
in our pages. The manufacturers expect that 
the new instrument will make large sections of 
greater thinness and accuracy than it has been 
possible to obtain hitherto. 
THE Atlantic Monthly, ‘devoted to literature, 
science, art and politics,’ has completed its for- 
tieth year with the current number and pub- 
lishes an editorial retrospect eight pages in 
length. Its scientific work is thus described : 
‘(Tn 1862 scientific articles by Agassiz began to 
appear, and a long succession of his writings 
was brought to an end by a paper published in 
1874, just after his death. Evenif the Atlantic 
had done nothing else in the field of science 
this record would be worth making; but the 
great achievements of these later years have 
always formed animportant part of its contents, 
and have been related by men like Rodolfo 
Lanciani, Percival Lowell, N. 8. Shaler, G. F. 
Wright and T. J. J. See, who has a notable 
article in the present number.’’? Compared 
with the men of letters mentioned by the Atlan- 
tic Monthly this list indicates that its devotion 
to literature has exceeded its devotion to sci- 
ence. 
THE New York State Library Association, at 
its meeting in 1896, recommended the fifty 
books of 1895, regarded as best for a village 
library. The scientific books included are as 
follows: Edward Clodd, ‘Story of primitive 
man ;’ Percival Lowell, ‘ Mars;’ S. H. Scudder, 
‘Frail children of the air;?’ M. O. Wright, 
‘Birderaft;’? Philip Atkinson, ‘Electricity for 
everybody.’ 
THE University of the State of New York has 
published the report of the Public Libraries 
Division for 1896, which gives a complete and 
SCIENCE. 
[N. 8. Vou. VI. No. 144. 
interesting survey of the growth of libraries in 
the State. 806 libraries of 300 volumes or more 
have sent in reports. These libraries contain a 
total of 4,647,661 volumes, of which number 
296,498 were added during the year. The 
libraries in the State having over 100,000 vol- 
umes are as follows: 
New York, N. Y., Public Library, Astor, Lenox 
and Tilden foundations 367,808; New York, Mer- 
cantile Library, 253,783 ; Albany, New York State 
Library, 223,547 ; New York, Columbia University 
Library, 223,000; Ithaca, Cornell University Li- 
brary, 186,683 ; Brooklyn, Brooklyn Library, 124,- 
299; New York, General Society Mechanics and 
Tradesmen Library, 106,440. 
The libraries that added over 10,000 books 
during 1896 are as follows : 
Columbia College Library, 20,580; New York 
Public Library, 15,594; New York State Library, 
14,570; Cornell University Library, 13,578; New 
York Free Circulating Library, 11,201. : 
THE Minnesota Child Study Association, or- 
ganized in 1895, has published a hand-book of 
60 pages, which may be secured for 30 cents from 
the Secretary of the Association, Mr. E. A. 
Kirkpatrick, Winona, Minn. The pamphlet 
contains a number of suggestions and syllabi 
for the study of children, which will prove 
useful, more especially in view of the lack of a 
systematic treatise on the subject. 
In a letter, lately published, from Mr. Voor- 
hes, Vice-President, to Mr. Charles H. Fahl, the 
engineer of the train, the former gives the 
figures for the runs of the train between Cam- 
den and Atlantic City last season, and gives 
deserved credit to the engineer. The facts are 
most remarkable and creditable, and the action 
of the Vice-President of the road is commend- 
able in a remarkable degree. Were it an 
ocean steamer of which the performance was 
thus described the credit would have been 
given solely, in the usual case at least, to the 
commanding officer ; the engineer would have 
been forgotten. Mr. Voorhes says: ‘‘The 
train record shows that for the fifty-two days 
the train ran, from July 2d to August 31st, the 
average time consumed on the run was forty- 
eight minutes, equivalent to a uniform rate of 
speed, from start to stop, of sixty-nine miles an 
