758 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. VIII. No. 204. 



SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS. 

 The Astrophysical Join-nal for November opens 

 with an article ou the probable range of tem- 

 perature on the moon by Dr. Frank W. Very, 

 in which the subject is taken up from its ex- 

 perimental side. There are short articles by 

 Dr. J. Hartman on an interpolation formula for 

 the prismatic spectrum; by Professor P. Tacchini 

 on solar observations made at the Observatory 

 of the Eoman College, and by Professor E. E. 

 Barnard on the great Nebula of Andromeda. 

 More than half of the number is devoted to ab- 

 stracts of papers read at the second Conference 

 of Astronomers and Astrophysicists. 



The November number of the American Ge- 

 ologist contains the following articles : 



Geographical Phenomena resulting from the Sur- 

 face Tension of Water: Gkoege E. Ladd. 



The Occurrence of Copper and Lead in the San An- 

 dreas and Caballo Mountains: C. L. Herkice. 



Giants' Kettles near Christiania and in Lucerne: 

 Warren Upham. 



Origin of the Archean Igneous Rooks: N. H. WlN- 



CHELL. 



Glacial Theories— Cosmical and Terrestrial: E. W. 

 Claypole. 



Intraformational Conglomerates in the Galena 

 Series: F. W. Sardeson. 



Editorial Comment — Drygalski's Glacial Studies 

 in Greenland. 



We note with much regret the discontinua- 

 tion of Science Progress, after the publication of 

 seven volumes, first as a monthly and during 

 the past two years as a quarterly review of cur- 

 rent scientific investigation. It has been con- 

 ducted by Sir Henry Burdett and edited by J. 

 Bretland Farmer, with the cooperation of a 

 strong editorial committee, the contributions 

 always maintaining a high standard of excel- 

 lence. The notice of discontinuation does not 

 hesitate to emphasize the merits of the journal, 

 remarking as it does : " Science Progress is ad- 

 mittedly the best scientific serial publication 

 which has been issued from the English press, 

 and it is disappointing to find that scientists 

 generally, whilst expressing appreciation of the 

 publication, have failed to support it by becom- 

 ing subscribers. For nearly five years, relying 

 upon its excellence, the publishers have con- 

 tinued the publication. The result shows, how- 



ever, that at the present time scientists will not 

 subscribe in sufficient numbers to enable a pub- 

 lication of the high type of Science Progress to 

 be financially successful." The real difficulty 

 has, however, been that all the sciences have 

 been included in the scope of a single journal, 

 and each science has often been treated in a 

 manner too technical to be interesting or even 

 intelligible to those who are not special stu- 

 dents of the science. But it is unfortunate that 

 public spirit and enlightened self-interest are not 

 sufficiently developed to support a journal the 

 discontinuation of which is a serious loss to 

 science. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 



NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



The Academy held its autumn meeting for 

 the reading of scientific papers on November 

 15th. Twenty-seven members were present. 

 The following papers were read : 



I. Anatomy of Nautilus pompilius, W. K. Beooks 

 and L. E. Griffin. (Not read.) 



II. On solid solutions of colloidal glass, C. Baeus. 



III. Three phases of vertebrate development, 

 Charles S. Minot. 



IV. Notes on mammalian embryology, Charles S. 



MiXOT. 



V. The influence of alcohol and alcoholic fluids on 

 digestion, E. H. Chittenden. 



VI. On the conditions modifying the excretion of 

 kynuremic acid, Lafayette B. Mendel. (By invi- 

 tation. ) 



VII. Perturbations of Minerva, with a preliminary 

 determination of its orbit, W. S. Eichelbekgek, 

 presented by Simon Newcomb. (Read by title.) 



VIII. On a series of native skulls from New 

 Guinea, O. C. Marsh. 



IX. On the reputed prefrontal bones in recent 

 mammals, 0. C Maksh. 



X. Sodium tungstate as a retainer for boric acid, 

 F. A. GoocH and Louis Cleveland Jones. 



XL The ajumonium-maguesium phosphate of an- 

 alysis, F. A. GoocH and SIaetha Austin. 



XII. The chemical composition of Tourmaline, S. 

 L. Penfield. (By Invitation.) 



XIII. On the nature and origin of the marine fauna 

 of Bermuda, A. E. Veeeill. 



XIV. On the ability possessed by certain animals to 

 recover after complete freezing, A. E. Vereill. 



XV. Further researches in the two isomeric chlo- 

 rides of orthosulphobenzoic acid : A study in tan- 

 tomerism, lE.\ Remsen. 



