960 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. VIII. No. 209. 



tbe theories which have been advanced to ac- 

 count for them, with the difficulties which are 

 encountered by them. The variations in the 

 barometric pressure as given by the observa- 

 tions were redistributed relatively to the mag- 

 netic poles, the components taken, and com- 

 pared with the deflecting magnetic forces which 

 cause the daily variation of the needle. It was 

 shown that both systems have a belt of transi- 

 tion near latitude 60°, and a displacement of 

 phase by six hours in the polar regions. Other 

 similar features were indicated, suggesting some 

 mutual dependence between these systems. 



A second comparison of these deflecting forces 

 with the diurnal components of wind velocities 

 in middle latitudes exhibited a remarkable 

 agreement in their directions and their turning 

 points. Some statement was made regarding 

 the causes of this phenomenon. 



E. D. Preston, 



Secretary. 



BOSTON SOCIETY OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



The Society met November 16th, with eighty- 

 five persons present. 



Professor W. Z. Ripley spoke of the racial 

 characteristics of the Jews. The Jews and the 

 Gypsies, alone of European races, preserve their 

 individuality without territory. The numbers, 

 distribution and origin of the European Jews 

 were given in detail ; in Europe they are widely 

 and unevenly scattered ; probably one half are 

 to be found in Poland and southwestern Russia. 

 For America, though official data are wanting, 

 there are probably one million. The small size 

 of the Jews is marked and is due to hostile leg- 

 islation, starvation, oppression and environ- 

 ment. The Jews are essentially a town people, 

 and town life tends to depress stature. The 

 inheritance of their short stature is still ques- 

 tioned. Their chest development is small, but 

 in spite of physical degeneracy statistics show 

 that the Jews live twice as long as Christians. 

 The head variation of European races was 

 noted ; in the Jews the head form is not per- 

 sistent and does not indicate purity. The facial 

 characteristics, form of nose, color of hair and 

 eyes of the Jews were described, and the geo- 

 graphical distribution of the race in Europe, 

 their average stature in European countries 



and the types of head form were illustrated by 

 lantern views. Samuel Henshaw, 



Secretary. 



NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES — SECTION OF 

 ASTRONOMY AND PHYSICS. 



At the regular monthly meeting of the Sec- 

 tion of Astronomy and Physics, held December 

 5, 1898, Mr. Wallace Goold Levison presented 

 a paper ou ' A Classification of the Phosphores- 

 cent and Fluorescent Substances,' in which he 

 grouped under the former head all those that 

 give out shorter radiations than they receive, 

 while under the latter he placed those that give 

 out longer radiations than they receive. Each 

 heading was then amplified by sub-headings re- 

 ferring to the manner or circumstances in which 

 a substance phosphoresces or fluoresces. 

 For instance : 



f Thermo- Heated or cooled. 



I Electro- | Statically electrified. 



I i Exposed to X-rays. 



Phosphorescent jLumino-^^^^^^ 



Tribo- \ Compressed. 

 I ( Hammered, 



[etc. 



In the same way the fluorescent substances 

 were subdivided. 



Mr. Levison showed his sj'stem by means of 

 lantern slides of tables or charts on which the 

 substances were arranged as above. He exhib- 

 ited a large number of slides, and received the 

 congratulations of the members present for the 

 painstaking labor that he had spent upon the 

 subject, as well as for the logical arrangement 

 of the same. R. Gordon, 



Secretary of Section. 



NEW BOOKS. 



Studien ilber Sdugethiere. Max Webee. Jena, 

 Gustav Fischer. 1898. 2d Part. Pp. v-F 152. 

 12 Marks. 



Physical Geography. William Morris Davis, 

 assisted by William Henry Snyder. Bos- 

 ton and London, Ginn & Co. 1898. Pp. 

 xvii -1-428. 



Degeneracy : Its Causes, Signs and Results. 

 Eugene S. Talbot. New York, Charles 

 Scribner's Sons ; London, Walter Scott, Ltd. 

 1898. Pp. xvi-l-372. $1.50. 



