242 



SCIENCE. 



[X. S. Vol. XVllI. Xo. 451. 



docs in a very satisfactory manner, the chief 

 features of the most recent developments in 

 electrical engineering. 



Chapter I. is devoted to definitions of terms 

 and Chapters XII., Xni. and XIV. are de- 

 voted to the more or less theoretical ques- 

 tions of choice of frequency, weights of copper 

 for various systems and calculation of trans- 

 mission lines. The remaining chapters II. 

 to XI. are devoted to the details of structure 

 and operation of alternating current ma- 

 chinery of the polyphase type; and in an ap- 

 pendix is given the full report of the commit- 

 tee on standardization (of electrical ma- 

 chinery) of the American Institute of Elec- 

 trical Engineers. 



The author gives expression in his preface 

 to a statement which has been current among 

 electrical engineers for some time, namely 

 that the most progressive engineering work 

 of the day is that of switchboard design. The 

 truth of this statement may be realized if we 

 remember that the switchboard in a station in- 

 cludes all the controlling, regulating and 

 safety devices, and that with the coming of 

 our enormously powerful high-voltage gener- 

 ators the switchboard designer faces. some of 

 the most perplexing problems that have ever 

 confronted electrical engineers. 



W. S. Eranklin. 



Arithmetic of Electrical Measurements. By 

 W. E. P. HoBBS. Ninth edition, revised by 

 EiCHAED WoRJiELL. London, Thomas Mur- 

 by. 1902. Crown 8vo. Tp. 112. 50 cents. 

 This is an excellent collection of simple 

 problems illustrating the principles of current 

 electricity. The problems are arranged in 

 thirteen chapters and at the beginning of 

 each chapter is given a series of explanatory 

 paragraphs. An undue proportion of the prob- 

 lems are devoted to battery calculations such 

 as grow out of series and parallel connections, 

 while many important phases of modern elec- 

 trical eiigineering are wholly untouched. 



W. S. Eranklin. 



8GIENTIFW JOURNALS AND ARTICLES. 

 The American Naturalist for June contains 

 the first instalment of an article on ' The 



Colors of Northern Gamopetalous Elowers,' 

 John H. Lowell; this is devoted mainly to a 

 presentation of the character and colors of the 

 flowers of the various orders of the group, 

 though at the close we have a hint that bees 

 have been largely instrumental in bringing 

 about the survival of certain colored flowers. 

 J. H. Powers discusses ' The Causes of Ac- 

 celeration and Retardation in the Metamor- 

 phosis of Amhlystoma tigrinum/ bringing 

 forward a number of facts to show that the 

 chief factor in change is a reduction in the 

 food supply and not an insufficient supply of 

 water for respiration by gills. Bradley Moore 

 Davis considers at some length ' The Origin 

 of the Sporophyte ' and the balance of the 

 ntimber is devoted to notes and reviews. 



The Popular Science Monthly for August 

 opens with an article by Sir Oliver Lodge, 

 on ' Modern Views on Matter,' the Romanes 

 Lecture at Oxford; David Starr Jordan 

 considers ' The Training of a Physician ' and 

 W. LeConte Stevens ' American Titles and 

 Distinctions,' implying that here they are all 

 too cheap. C. C. Nutting describes, with the aid 

 of illustrations, ' The Bird Rookeries on the 

 Island of Laysan ' ; Albert Schneider discusses 

 ' Bacteria in Modern Agriculture,' showing 

 what it is hoped to do by the aid of bacteria 

 rather than what has actually been accom- 

 plished; and J. E. G. de Montmorency gives 

 the second part of ' The Story of English Edu- 

 cation,' bringing the subject down to date. 

 Erederick A. Bushee has an article on ' The 

 Declining Birth Rate and its Cause,' and J. A. 

 Eleming the third instalment of a paper on 

 ' Hertzian Wave Wireless Telegraphy.' There 

 are many matters of interest discussed in 

 ' The Progress of Science.' 



The Museum.s Journal of Great Britain for 

 June bring-s to a close the second volume of 

 this valuable periodical, which comprises some 

 375 pages, besides the full index, and supple- 

 mentary pages devoted to a directory of the 

 Museums of Great Britain. Mr. Hoyle is to 

 be complimented on the regularity with which 

 the Journal has appeared and congratulated 

 on the fact that he has made it a financial 

 success. 



