SCIENCE 



Editorial Committee: S. Nbwcomb, Mathematics; E. S. Woodward, Mechanics; E. C. Pickering 



Astronomy; T. C. Mendenhall, Physics; R. H. Thurston, Engineering; Ira Ebmsen, Chemistry; 



J. Le Conte, Geology; W. M. Davis, Physiography; 0. C. Marsh, Paleontology; W. K. Brooks, 



C. Hart Merriam, Zoology; S. H. Scudder, Entomology; C. E. Bessey, N. L. Britton, 



Botany; Henry F. Osborn, General Biology; C. S. Minot, Embryology, Histology; 



H. P. Bowditch, Physiology; J. S. Billings, Hygiene; J. McKeen Cattell, 



Psychology; Daniel G. Brinton, J. W. Powell, Anthropology. 



Friday, ISTovembeb 4, 1898. 



CONTENTS: 



Address of the President before the British Associa- 

 tion for tlie A dvancement of Science, Bristol, 1S9S 

 (II.) ; Sir William Crookes 601 



Recent Advances in 3Ialacologij : Wm.'H. Dall...612 



An Instance of Local Temperature Control of the Dis- 

 tribution of llammals : Gerrit S. Miller, Jr.. .615 



Tlie Annual Inspection of the Pribilof Seal Rookeries : 

 Db. C. H. Townsend 618 



The Natural History 3±useums of British Columbia : 

 Harlan I. Smith 619 



Zoological Bibliography and Publication 621 



Astronomical Notes : — 

 Section A at the Boston Sleeting, A. A. A.S.; The 

 Asteroid DQ.; The Andromeda Nebula : PROFES- 

 SOR WiNSLOW XJPION 623 



■ Zoological Notes : — 



Another Specimen of Notornis • Zoological Nomen- 

 clature: F. A. Lucas 625 



Owrrent Notes on Anthropology : — 



Antiquities of Costa Rica ; The Borgian Codex ; A 

 newly-published Aztec Document : PROFESSOR D. 

 G. Beinton 626 



Scientific Notes and News : — 



The Naturalists and Affiliated Societies ; The Ger- 

 man Naturforscher undAerzte 627 



University and Educational News 633 



Discussion and Correspondence :^ 

 Measurements of Precision : X. Life-zones in New 



Mexico : PROFESSOR T. D. A. COCKERBLL, DR. 



C. Hart Merriam 634 



Scientific Literntwre: — 



Peters' Angewandte Elektrochemie : H. C. J. 



Blaclcall's Air-brake Catechism : E. H. T 637 



Scientific Journals 638 



Societies and Academies : — 



Entomological Society of Washington : Dk. L. O. 



Howard. New York Section of the American 



Chemical Society : Dr. Durand Wojdman. 



Engelmann Botanical Club : HERMANN VON 



SCHRENK 638 



New Books 640 



ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT BEFORE THE 

 BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE AD- 

 VANCEMENT OF SCIENCE, 

 BRISTOL, 1S98. 

 II. 



Having kept you for the last half hour 

 rigorously chained to earth, disclosing 

 dreary possibilities, it will be a relief to soar 

 to the heights of pure science and to discuss 

 a point or two touching its latest achieve- 

 ments and aspirations. The low tempera- 

 ture researches which bring such renown to 

 Professor Dewar and to his laboratory in the 

 Eoyal Institution have been crowned during 

 the present year by the conquest of one of 

 Nature's most defiant strongholds. On the 

 10th of last May Professor Dewar wrote to 

 me these simple but victorious words : 

 " This evening I have succeeded in liquefy- 

 ing both hydrogen and helium. The second 

 stage of low- temperature work has begun." 

 Static hydrogen boils at a temperature of 

 238^ C. at ordinary pressure, and at 250° C. 

 in a vacuum, thus enabling us to get within 

 23° of absolute zero. The density of liquid 

 hydrogen is only one- fourteenth that of 

 water, yet in spite of such a low density it 

 collects well, drops easily and has a well- 

 defined meniscus. With proper isolation it 

 will be as easy to manipulate liquid hydro- 

 gen as liquid air. 



The investigation of the properties of 

 bodies brought near the absolute zero of. 

 temperature is certain to give results of ex- 

 traordinary importance. Already platinum 



