362 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XX. No. 516 



It is thought that thus "the rich results obtained by the com- 

 parative method in natural and human sciences justify the hope 

 that not less valuable returns will be obtained " by this extension 

 of the system. Architecture falls under the domain of law, and 

 the immense walls of the Assyrians and the pond rous arches of 

 the Romans are the product, not of fancy, but of the condition 

 of environment of their builders. Mr. Ferree believes with Free- 

 man; "Deal worthily with the histoi'y of architecture and it is 

 worthy to take its place alongside the history of law and of lan- 

 guage." •' Comparative architecture has to do with architecture 

 as the product of the human mind, as the result of intellectual 

 processes and reasonings; and each diy these things enter more 

 and more into the making of modern architecture." The paper 

 is well worthy of the careful perusal of the architect whether 

 professional or amateur. 



Energy and Vision. By S. P. Langley. Washington, Nat. 

 Acad. 18p. 4°. 



This small volume contains, as is always expected of the pa- 

 pers of the distinguished astronomer and physicist, very impor- 

 tant matter. The work was first presented to the National 

 Academy of Sciences at its April meeting in 1888. It relates to 

 the differing optical effects produced by waves of light of varying 

 magnitude though containing equal energy. Two lines of re- 

 search are marked out: the one to ascertain the quantity of en- 

 ergy in each ray; the other to measure the corresi^onding visual 

 effect. In the first the •■bolometer" of Langley is used to 

 measure energy of various heat and light waves. Solar nieasures 

 coQstitute the second. The result give^ the value of equal 

 amounts of energy at different points in the spectrum as affecting 

 the retina. It was at once found that energy itself is not uni- 

 formly distributed in the spectrum. The gauge of energy was 

 taken as the intensity of light required to read a table of logar- 

 ithms; which method is thought more accurate than any of 

 the usual photometric systems. It is found that the eye requires 



more time to regain its sensitiveness for violet light, after having 

 been exposed to sunlight, than for any other color. It is found 

 that the eye can perceive lights varying in intensity in the pro- 

 portion of 1 to 1,000.000.000,000,000. The same amount of 

 energy may produce 100, GOD times as much effect in one portion 

 of the spectrum as in another. Work done in giving rise to 

 deepest red light amounts to about 0.003 erg per second. 



Spoils' Tables and Memoranda for Engineers. By J. T. HuRsr 

 Eleventh edition. New York, Spon & Chamberlain. 

 This is a little pocket-edition of Hurst's tables, and is likely to 

 prove, as indeed the issue of eleven editions shows to be the fact, 

 a very useful miniature reference-book. It is about one and a 

 half by two and a half inches, and 140 pages of carefully selectf d 

 tallies and data, with a good index. It can be carried in the 

 waistcoat-pocket. It is even smaller than the admu-able little- 

 pocket book published by the American Iron Works of Jones, 

 Laughlin, & Co., and but a fraction of the size of Hurst's larger 

 tables, of Moles worth, and other so-called pocket-books. 



AJIONG THE PUBLISHERS. 

 — The tenth and concluding volume of the new edition of 

 "Chambers's Encyclopedia" will be issued by J. B. Lippincott 

 Co. in a few weeks. JVIr. Stanley Lane-Poole writes on Swift 

 and Turkey ; Mr. F. T. Palgrave contributes the memoir of Tenny- 

 son and that of Wordsworth, Mr. Richmond Ritchie that on 

 Thackeray. Sir W. Lawson treats of Temperance, jMr. R. W. 

 Lowe of the Theatre, Mrs. Besant of Theosophy, and Mr. G. 

 Howell of Trades-Unions. Mr. Hamerton is the author of the 

 biography of Titian and of that of Turner, while Mr. J. Gray 

 writes on Van Dyck. The article on Anthony Trollope is by his 

 brotber. the late Thomas A. Trollope. Mr. Vambery writes on 

 Turkestan. Professor Shaler on the Geology of the United States, 

 Professor J. Geikie on Volcanoes, Mr. Austin Dobson on Horace 

 Walpole, Mr. Loftie on Westminster and Windsor, Mr. Eraser 



CALENDAR OF SOCIETIES. 



Biological Society, Washington. 



Dec. 17. — Principal topic of the evening. 

 What should be the Scope and Object of a 

 Biological Society ? introduced by Mr B. E. 

 Fernow. Communications: Lester F. Ward, 

 Frost Freaks of the Dittany; Erwin F. 

 Smith, Notes on Peach Rosette; M. B. 

 Waite. Destruction of Lichens on Pesir Trees ; 

 D. G. Fairchild, Notes on Apple and Pear 

 Fusicladii. 



New York Academy of Sciences. 



Dec. 19.— W. B. Scott, Fossil Hunting in 

 the North-West. 



Nev7 York Academy of Sciences, Biologi- 

 cal Section. 

 Dec. 13. — The following is a synopsis of 

 the papers: On the Miocene Deposits of the 

 White River, by Dr. T. L. Wortman. These 

 deposits were arranged in three groups, 

 Lower, or Menodus, beds; Middle, or Orco- 

 don, beds; and Upper, or Protoceros. beds. 

 The Protoceros beds were regai-ded as in 

 part contemporary with the Jnhn Day beds 

 of Oregon. On the Ilco-Colic Junction of 

 Procyon lotor and Allied Arcthoi^ls, by G. S. 

 Huntington. The absence of caecum in 

 Procyon was noted as repeating the condi- 

 tion found in Hyena and the Ursidte. The 

 provision for preventing return of contents 

 of large intestine appears to consist m a 

 series of constructions in the lermiuHl part 

 of the ileum together with increase in the 

 circiilar muscular fibres in these situations 

 as well as at the ilco colic junction itself. 

 There is a complete absence of an Ilco colic 

 valve. On the Origin of West Indian Bird 



Life, by F. M. Chapman. Conclusions from 

 study of bird (and mammal) life were (1) 

 distinctness geologically of Lesser from 

 Greater Antilles; |3) independence of islands 

 and mainland since the appearance of the 

 present fauna; (3) original connection of 

 Indes to Central America by way of Ja- 

 maica, Central America at this time an 

 archipelago created by passage leading 

 from Pacific to Carribi-an Sea; (4) the older 

 faunal forms of the Indes represent sur 

 vivors of the insular Tertiary species; (5) 

 the newer forms are immigrants and become 

 differentiated under new conditions of liv- 

 ing. H. F. Ooborn reported the discovery 

 in the Miocene of South Dakota of a horned 

 .\rtiodact.\ 1 represented by mal^ and female 

 skulls and complete fore and hind feet. The 

 female skull is comparatively hornless and 

 proves to be identical with Protoceras celer 

 Marsh. The male skull exhibits no less 

 than five proiuberances upon each side, or 

 ten altogether. Two of these upon the 

 frontals and sides of the maxillaries are 

 very small; the parietal, supra-orbital, and 

 masilliary proiuberances are very promi- 

 nent and hfd. apparently, a dermal cover- 

 ing, as in the giraffe. There are four toes 

 in front and two behind, as in the early 

 Tragulidte. The types were found by Dr. 

 T. L. Wortman, and are in the recent col- 

 lections of the American Museum of Natu- 

 ral History. 



Society of Natural History, Boston. 



Dec 31. — W F. Ganong, Some New Ex- 

 periments on the .-^bsorp ion of Liquids by 

 Aerial Parts of Plants S H. Scudder, The 

 Abdominal Pouch of Butterflies of the 

 Genns Parnassius: W. H. Niles, Columnar 

 Structure in Stratified Rock. 



Publications Received at Editor's Office. 



George, Henht. A Perplexed Philosopher. New 

 York, C. L. Webster & Co. 319 p. 18°. 81. 



HiLE, George E. Ultra-violet Spectram of the 

 Solar Prominences: The Yerkes Observatory of 

 the University of Chicago; Some Results and 

 Conclusions Derived from a Photographic Study 

 of the Sun. Reprints. Chicago, The Author. 



Ne-wth, G. S. Chemical Lecture Experiments. Lon- 

 don and New York, Longmans, Green & Co. 

 383 p. 8°. S3. 



U. S. Navy Dep't Notes on the Year's Naval Prog- 

 ress. Washington, Government. 366 p., pi. 8°. 



Reading Matter Notices. 

 Ripans Tabules cure hives. 

 Eipans Tabules cure dyspepsia. 



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