2P 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XIII. No. 310 



Peruvian skulls recently received by the museum, and the ancient 

 crania collected in Arizona last summer, there are frequent indi- 

 vidual variations in thickness, but no tendency to unusual thickness. 

 The conclusion from these facts is, that exposure to the sun prob- 

 ably does not cause thickness of the human skull. 



In connection with this subject, it is interesting to note, that, 

 among the Australians the sinus frontalis is generally found to be 

 solid in the males, instead of being hollow as in the skulls of other 

 races. This bone in the male Australians generally extends 

 straight across the head, the lower side overhanging the eyes so 

 that they seem to look out from under it, while in the North Amer- 

 ican Indians a modification of shape deprives them of that heavy 

 look about the forehead. The heavy sinus frontalis of the Aus- 

 tralians, of course, increases the weight of the skull. 



Diseases of Menagerie Animals. 



At the meeting of the Biological Society, Mr. F. A. Lucas read a 

 paper on " The Diseases of Menagerie Animals." He showed that 

 menagerie animals are extremely liable to disease ; and this is al- 

 most as true of those born in captivity as of those which are cap- 

 tured when full grown. 



Young animals suffer greatly from caries, owing to lack of proper 

 diet, and their bones are very generally soft, swollen, and mis- 

 shapen. The maxillaries are especially liable to be attacked during 

 the period of teething, and the facial region is in consequence very 

 much distorted. 



Diseases of the lungs are very prevalent among menagerie ani- 

 mals, tuberculosis being exceedingly common among monkeys, and 

 found among other animals less frequently. Pneumonia is a fre- 

 quent cause of death, and birds as well as mammals are liable to 

 be attacked by this disease. 



The following is a list of animals examined, where the cause of 

 death was fairly established : — 



Macaque {Macacus cynomtilgtis). — Tuberculosis. 



Gray fox {Urocym "jirginianus). — Pneumonia. This specimen 

 also exhibited a very bad case of intestinal catarrh and inflamma- 

 tion of the bladder. 



Badger ( Taxidea america?ia). — Pneumonia. 



Elephant {Elephas africanus). — Pneumonia. 



Lynx {Lynx rtiftis). — Urasmic poisoning (in two cases). 



Black bear (6Viz<i americaims). — Killed. Had_been sick for 

 some time with catarrh of stomach and intestine. 



Mino bird {Eidabes affinis). — Congestion of lungs. 



Parrot (Amazona ochroptera). — Congestion of brain (?) This 

 bird died suddenly, and all organs were healthy. The blood-ves- 

 sels of the brain were much congested. 



Parrot {Amazona Levaillantii). — Tuberculosis. 



Tooth-billed pigeon {Didicnculus etrigoroslris). — Disease of 

 liver, that organ being converted into a hard, waxy mass adherent 

 to sternum. 



Pigeon {Columba livia domesticd). — Disease of liver, same as 

 above. 



Eagle {Haliaetus leucocephabis). — Fatty degeneration of liver. 



Night heron {Nyctherodius violacens). — Congestion of lungs. 



The Geological Survey. 



Appropriate committees of the Senate and House are consider- 

 ing, with very favorable tendencies, the bill appropriating $600,000 

 for the erection of a building for the Geological Survey, on the pub- 

 lic reservation near the Smithsonian, where grounds have been 

 allotted to it. The plan submitted by Major Powell contemplates a 

 solid and compact rectangular structure, covering 100 by 300 feet, five 

 stories high, with hipped roof. It will be of Seneca sandstone (like the 

 Smithsonian),or of selected red brick with sandstone buttresses, trim- 

 mings, and belt courses, and overground basement of same. The 

 general arrangement will consist of a series of large, well-lighted 

 rooms, averaging 1 6 by 24 feet,disposed about a spacious central court 

 lighted from the top, and with tessellated floor. In this court the 

 working collections of the survey will be open to inspection. The 

 preliminary ground plans and elevations have been prepared by 

 Messrs. Victor Mindeleff and Delancey W. Gill of the Geological 

 Survey. 



THE TASK OF STATE WEATHER SERVICES. 



Professor Francis E. Nipher, in an interesting pamphlet on 

 the rainfall of Missouri, takes occasion to urge the establishment 

 of State weather services. " The State weather service," he says, 

 " bears the same relation to the national service that the State Gov- 

 ernment bears to the National Government. 



" There are many large storms, of great severity, which damage 

 shipping and endanger life. The Signal Service has done a great 

 work in giving warning of these storms. Shippers and dealers in 

 provisions and fruits find the cold-wave warnings of the greatest 

 value. In all large cities the approach of a ' warm spell ' is known 

 through the Signal Service predictions, and thousands of tons of 

 meats are hurried to cold storage warehouses, and the opportunity 

 to ship other provisions which must be kept from freezing is antici- 

 pated and made available. It is not saying too much to say that it 

 would be impossible to carry on the shipping business of the 

 country as it is now carried on, without the aid of the national 

 weather service. 



" But each State has its own peculiar industries, advantages, and 

 interests. It should provide for a thorough study of its own 

 climate, and should distribute published reports for the benefit of 

 those who may desire such knowledge. 



" There is another field which peculiarly belongs to the State 

 weather service. The weather which is of greatest importance to 

 the farmer is the weather of harvest. During that time storms are 

 usually very local. They may cover a few counties only, and inflict 

 immense damage. People living in the city can learn from the 

 Signal Service that there will be ' local rains in Missouri,' but no- 

 body knows where in Missouri they are going to locate ; and even 

 this information reaches the farmer only after the rain is over, if at 

 all. 



" The local peculiarities of these storms require study in each 

 State. Very much has been done in this direction in Iowa and by 

 the New England Meteorological Society. Such work should be 

 at once begun in our State. In three or four years we should be 

 familiar with the behavior of these storms, and this knowledge 

 could be given to all. 



" In 1893 the telephone will become public property, and it will 

 then be possible for county telephone services to be established, 

 putting each farm in communication with a county seat. Tele- 

 phone service can be rendered for a sum which will be utterly in- 

 significant when compared with the advantages which it will bring. 

 Farmers can then keep informed of the markets, can sell their prod- 

 uce before leaving their homes, and will be able to save much 

 time which they now waste during the busy season of harvest. 

 This is all so apparent that it is needless to discuss it further. In 

 addition, there will grow up a system of harvest storm warnings. 

 It will be very easy for any county telephone system to give its 

 subscribers a general warning of an approaching thunder-storm, 

 and to transmit that information to such other counties as may be 

 in danger. The exact details of this scheme may be left to the 

 director of a State weather service to work out. It seems certain 

 that this can and will be done, and there is no reason that this 

 should be done by the national weather service." 



COMMERCIAL GEOGRAPHY. 

 The Development of Commerce on the Kongo. 



The Belgian Compagnie du Congo pour le Commerce et I'ln- 

 dustrie is pushing on its enterprises vigorously. The most impor- 

 tant among these for the development of the resources of Central 

 Africa is the railroad from Matadi to Stanley Pool, connecting the 

 navigable upper Kongo with the highest point that can be reached 

 by steamers. In the past year a corps of engineers was engaged 

 in surveying this line, which offers peculiar difficulties on account of 

 the deep gullies cutting the line to be followed by the road at right 

 angles. At a recent meeting oft he shareholders of the company, 

 M. Cambier, chief engineer of the expedition, gave a report of his 

 proceedings, which has been published in a recent number of the 

 Mouvemeiit Geographiqiie from which we take the following 

 statements and the accompanymg map. 



It will be noticed, that while the old caravan route runs approxi- 



