708 
insect wounds, and the disease causes a black- 
ening of the fibro-vaseular bundles, followed by 
the death of the plant. 
Mr. Comstock presented an account of re- 
search work in progress at the Washburn Obser- 
vatory. The meridian circle has been employed 
for some years by Mr. Flint in determining the 
relative parallaxes of a list of stars selected with 
reference to large proper motion. The observa- 
tions for the determination of nearly 100 paral- 
laxes are completed and the reductions are well 
advanced, although but a small number of de- 
finitive results have yet been reached. Inso far 
as these have been obtained they are very satis- 
factory in respect both of probable error and 
agreement with other determinations. 
There was also described work done with 
the 40 em. equatorial telescope in investigations 
of stellar color and upon the density of the 
supposed lunar atmosphere, A provisional re- 
sult of the latter work is that this density can- 
not exceed one five-thousandth part of that of 
the earth’s atmosphere at sea level. 
Wo. 8. MARSHALL, 
Secretary. 
SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS. 
The American Journal of Science, November.— 
‘Geology of Southern Patagonia,’ J. B. Hatcher: 
An account of observations made while collect- 
ing vertebrate fossils for Princeton University 
from May 1, 1896, to June 5, 1897, giving sug- 
gestions as to the age and origin of the different 
sedimentary deposits and the agencies which 
have determined the present topographical 
features. ‘Some of the large Oysters of Pata- 
gonia,’ A. E. Ortmann. ‘Former Extension of 
the Appalachians across Mississippi, Louisiana 
and Texas,’ J. C. Branner: Evidence for the 
theory announced in 1890 regarding the char- 
acter and extent of the southwestern Appala- 
chian depression. ‘Combustion of Organic 
Substances in the Wet Way,’ I. K. Phelps: 
Extension of the process applied in a previous 
article to carbon dioxide. ‘Some Features of 
Pre-Glacial Drainage in Michigan,’ HE. H. 
Mudge. 
The American Naturalist, October.—‘ Edward 
Drinker Cope, Naturalist—A Chapter in the 
History of Science’ (Illustrated), Theodore 
SCIENCE. 
[N.S. Vou. VI. No. 149. 
Gill: Address by the retiring President of the 
American Association for the Advancement of 
Science. ‘New Observations on the Origin of 
the Galapagos Islands, with Remarks on the 
Geological Age of the Pacific Ocean,’ G. Baur: 
Part II., giving the geographical distribution of 
different animals in the Pacific and Indo-Pacifie 
Ocean. The number contains a portrait of the 
late James Ellis Humphrey, one of the asso- 
ciate editors of the journal. 
Journal of Geology, September-October.—‘ The 
Newark System of New Jersey,’ H. Kimmel: 
Based on the Annual Report of the State Geolo- 
gist for 1896. ‘The Topography of California,’ 
Noah Fields Drake : Based on a relief map of 
California constructed by the author on a scale 
of 1 inch to 12 miles, and a vertical scale of 1 
inch to 12,000 feet. ‘A Comparative Study of 
the lower Cretaceous Formations and Faunas of 
the United States,’ Timothy W. Stanton: A 
thesis submitted for Ph.D. degree in Columbian 
University, containing a bibliography filling 14 
pages. ‘Correlation of the Devonian Faunas 
in Southern Illinois,’ Stuart Weller: Argues 
that the Devonian faunas in southern Illinois 
are not related to the Iowan Devonian faunas, 
but are a western extension of the faunas of the 
New York province. 
NEW BOOKS. 
The Ruins and Excavations of Ancient Rome. 
RopoLtro LANCIANE. Boston and New 
York, Houghton, Mifflin & Company. 1897. 
Pp. xxiv+619. $4.00. 
Memorials of William Cranch Bond and of his Son 
George Phillips Bond. EDWARD 8S. HOLDEN. 
San Francisco, C. A. Murdock & Co.; New 
York, Lemcke & Buechner. 1897. Pp. iv--296. 
Theory of Groups of Finite Order. W. BURNSIDE. 
Cambridge, The University Press. New York, 
The Macmillan Company. 1897. Pp. xvi-++ 
388: $3.75. 
Song Birds and Water Fowls. H. HE. PARK- 
New York, Charles Scribner’s Sons. 
Pp. viii+280. $1.50. 
HURST. 
1897. 
Erratum: In the report of the New York Section of 
the American Chemical Society, page 672, first col- 
umn, line 33, for expensive read inexpensive. 
