320 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XX. No. 51; 



Finally, in regard to Judge Johnson's " outline of the evolution 

 of the Florida Peninsula," I confess to being ignorant of its exist- 

 ence either in print or otherwise, until long after my own views 

 had not only been verbally communicated to many members of 

 the U. S. Geological Survey and presented to the Biological So- 

 ciety of Washington, but had been circulated in type-written 

 copies for the use of Mr. Eldridge's field-party. It is proper to 

 say that while I had for some time entertained the theoretical 

 view of the insulation of the Eocene island of Florida, the final 

 proof was supplied by the field observations of Mr. T. W. Stanton 

 of the U. S. Geological Survey, while the exploration of the Chi- 

 pola beds, for material by which their age was determined, and 

 the discovery of their existence in the typical locality on the 

 Chipola River were first made by Mr. Frank Burns of the U. S. 

 Geological Sm-vey ; though Langdon had previously observed the 

 lower bed at Alum Bluff, which proves to be of the same age. 



Wm. H. Ball. 

 Smithsonian Institution, Oct. 31. 



BOOK-REVIEWS. 



A Course on Zoology. Designed for Secondary Education. By 

 MoNTMAHON and Beauregakd. Translated from the French 

 by Wm. H. Green. Phila., J. B. Lippincott Co. 75 cts. 

 The introductory books of science of Paul Bert for use in the 

 lower schools are very well known in this country, and have been 

 of very great value in introducing science into the lower grades 

 of education. The above course of zoology by Montmahon and 

 Beauregard is designed as a second book in the same series, and 

 is planned to give to a higher grade of students a somewhat ex- 

 tensive study in zoology. The translation of this book into Eng- 

 Ush will be of great value to many of our high schools where an 

 elementary text-book in zoology is desired and one interesting to 

 students. The plan of the boob is the natural method of pro- 

 ceeding from the known to the unknown. It begins with an out- 



line of the study of human anatomy and physiology, and passes 

 from this subject to the study of the dog, the chicken, the lizard, 

 the frog, the fish, and then to the invertebrates, beginning natur- 

 ally with insects and Crustacea and then passing through the 

 lower orders of invertebrates somewhat more hurriedly. After 

 having thus given a general study of a type illustrative of each 

 of the large groups of animals, the last half of the book is occu- 

 pied with a popular study of the larger and better known ani- 

 mals, chiefly mammals and birds. This part of the book is very 

 abundantly illustrated with figures of the animals mentioned and 

 described, and throughout the illustrations are abundant and good. 

 For the purpose designed this book is open to the criticism that it 

 attempts to crowd rather too much detailed information and too 

 many scientific terms into a short compass. But, on the whole, 

 the style is simple, easily understood by the student for whom the 

 book is designed, and the book seems to be admirably adapted 

 for exciting an interest in zoological subjects among students of 

 the secondary grade of schools. The scholar will hardly get a 

 systematic knowledge of zoology out of the book, but this could 

 not be expected of any zoology adapted to the secondary schools. 

 The work can hardly fail to excite an interest, however, in the 

 scholar and lead him to using his own eyes in the observation of 

 nature, which is, of course, the chief design of scientific instruc- 

 tion in the lower schools. This book can thus certainly be recom- 

 mended for introduction into high schools and even into schools- 

 of lower grade. 



Chemical Theory for Beginners. By Leonard Dobbin and James. 



Walker. New York, Maomillan & Co. 8°. 248 p. 70' 



cents. 

 The study of chemical theories should be based upon a wide 

 range of experimental facts; and the title of this little volume is. 

 unpromising. The theories, however, are supported by numerous 

 experiments. The beginner may find some things hard to under- 

 stand, but much that is profitable. Those who are familiar with. 



CALENDAR OF SOCIETIES. 

 Philosophical Society, Washington. 



Nov. 26.— F. L O. Wadsworth, Method 

 of Determination of the Metre in Terms of a 

 Wave Length of Light; B. E. Fernow, Re- 

 cent Contributions Towards the Discussion 

 of Forest Influences ; R. T. Hill, The Occur- 

 rence of Iron m Mexico. 

 New York Academy of Sciences, Biologi- 

 cal Section. 



Nov. 14. — The papers were: Arthur 

 HoUick, On Additions to the Palaeobotany 

 of Staten Ii^land. About forty species 

 were presented, of which half had been 

 already described from Greenland Cretaceous 

 and from the Laramie. The fossils, leaf- 

 fragments, fruits, and seeds, occur in fire- 

 brick clay, or in ferruginous sandstone or 

 concretions. The genera notably repre- 

 sented v\ere Populus, Platanus, Myrica, 

 Kalmia, Acer, and Williamsonia. H. F. 

 Osborn, Report upon a Collection of Mam- 

 mals from the Cretaceous (Laramie). The 

 multituberculates, Meniscoessus and Ptilo- 

 dus, were assigned to the Plagiaulacidae, 

 the former a probable ancestor of Polymas- 

 todon. The relations of these mammals 

 were shown to be closer to Puerco than to 

 Upper Jurassic forms. Arthur Willey, On 

 the Significance of the Pituitary Body, and 

 made the suggestion, founded on researches 

 on the Ascidians and Amphioxus, that, if 

 the Amphirhinic condition of the higher 

 vertebrates was preceded by a Monorhinic 

 condition, the nose in the latter case was not 

 represented by the small nasal sac of Petro- 

 myzon, of which the unpaired character is 

 undoubtedly secondary, as shown both by 

 its development (Dohrn) and by its nerve- 

 supply ; but the nose in the Monorhinic an- 



cestor of the Vertebrates was the organ 

 which we know as the Pituitary Body or 

 Hypophysis cerebri in all existing Verte- 

 brates, this being represented in the As- 

 cidians, as shown by Julin, by the subneur- 

 al gland and its duct, and in Amphioxus by 

 the so-called olfactory pit. The Pituitary 

 Body is to the lateral Nares what the Pineal 

 Body is to the lateral Eyes. Bashford Dean 

 exhibited an entire Ciadodus, a unique speci- 

 men recently collected in the Cleveland 

 Shales. The tail, for the first time shown, 

 indicates historically the origin of this part 

 in modern elasmobranches. 



Publications Received at Editor's Office. 



Addison, Steele and Budgell. Sir Roger de Cov- 



erley Papers. English Classics for Schools. New 



York, American Book Co. 148 p. 12°. 20 cents. 

 Allsop, p. C. Practical Electric-Light Fitting. 



New York, Maomillan & Co. 275 p. W. Jl-bO. 

 Babet. 90 Methods of Utilizing Boiled Beef. Tr. 



from the French. New York, John Ireland. 



122 p. S°. 75 cents. 

 Barker, A. S. Deep-Sea Sounding. New York, 



Wiley. 133 p. Maps. 8°. $2. 

 Barker, Geo. F. Physics ; Advanced Course. 



Second Edition. New York. Holt. 902 p. 8°. 

 Campbell, H. J. Elementary Biology. London and 



New York, MacmUlan & Co. 284 p. 12°. $1.60. 

 Contributions from the Botanical Laboratory of 



the University of Pennsylvania. Vol.1., No. 1. 



Philadelphia, University of Pa. 72 p., pi. 8°. 

 Dingle, Edward. A study of Longitude. Plymouth, 



Eng., Geo. H. Sellick. 24 p. 8°. Is 

 Galton, Francis. Finger Prints. London and 



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8°. $; 25. 

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New York, American Book Co. 149 p. 12°. 20o. 

 McLennan, Evan. Cosraical Evolution. Chicago, 



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484 p. IS". 50 cents. 

 Shakespeare, Wm. Julius Caesar. English Clas- 

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Co. 114 p. 13°. 20 cents. 



Reading Matter Notices. 



Eipans Tabules : for torpid liver. 

 Ripans Tabules bajiish pain. 



THE RADIOMETER, 



By DANIEL S. TROY. 



This contains a discussiou of the reasons- 

 for their action and of the phenomena pre- 

 sented in Crookes' tubes. 



Price, postpaid, 50 cents. 



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