SCFTKMBEK 25, 1U03.] 



SCIENCE. 



413 



The mystery consists in i^lafing the linger 

 over the upper hole and air channel exactly 

 in the correct place. Usually a piece of cloth, 

 skin, etc., is tied around the cane at this point. 



The National Museum has specimens of this 

 instrument from the following tribes, viz.. 

 Apaches, Cocopas, Mohaves, Papagos, Pimas, 

 Rees and Shoshones. Other examples have a 

 tube with septum made by splitting a cylinder, 

 excavating the halves and gluing them 

 together. 



I had supposed until recently that this 

 method of constructing the flageolet was not 

 to be found outside of North America. I have 

 never read a description of this instrument ex- 

 cept from travelers in North America. But 

 recentlj-'in a collection of specimens made by 

 Dr. W. L. Abbott, at Siaba Bay, Island of 

 Nias, off the west coast of Sumatra, I find a 

 specimen made in the manner stated above 

 except that in the place of a septum the bore 

 of the cane is plugged with wax. The cover- 

 ing of the upper hole and air channel is a long 

 leaf wrapped around and protected by a ban- 

 dage of cotton sheeting. 



It has seven finger holes and a thumb hole. 

 Its Malay name is Siro'oni. 



E. H. Hawley. 



SCIEyriFIC AND TECHNICAL EXAMINA- 

 TIONS. 



The United States Civil Service Commis- 

 sion invites special attention to the examina- 

 tions which will be held, beginning October 

 21, 1903, at various places throughout the 

 United States, for the following-named posi- 

 tions : 



Acting assistant-surgeon, Public Health and 

 Marine Hospital Service. 



Aid, Coast and Geodetic Survey. 



Assistant examiner. Patent Office. 



Assistant (scientific). Department of Agri- 

 culture. 



Bookkeeper, Departmental Service. 



Civil and electrical engineer, Departmental 

 Service. 



Civil and electrical engineer, Philippine 

 Service. 



Civil engineer and draftsman. 



Computer : 



Coast and Geodetic Survey. 

 Nautical Almanac Office. 

 Naval Observatory. 



Deck officer, Coast and Geodetic Survey. 



Draftsman : 

 Architectural. 

 Copyist, topographic. 

 Junior architectural. 

 Topographic, Laud Office Service. 



Electrical engineer and draftsman. 



Engineering and hydrographic aid. 



Farmer — industrial teacher. 



Farmer — industrial teacher with a knowl- 

 edge of irrigation. 



Fish culturist. 



Irrigation engineer. 



Kindergarten teacher. 



Manual training teacher. 



Matron — seamstress — female industrial 

 teacher. 



Meat inspector. 



Mechanical and electrical engineer. 



Observer. 



Pharmacist, Public Health and Marine-Hos- 

 pital Service. 



Physician, Indian Service. 



Superintendent of construction. 



Teacher, Indian Service. 



Trained nurse, Indian Service. 



Trained nurse, Philippine Service. 



As the demand for persons with these quali- 

 fications is greater than the present supply, 

 the Commission invites all persons who are 

 qualified to take these examinations, as they 

 offer an excellent opportunity to enter the 

 Federal service, with good prospect for ad- 

 vancement. Information concerning the char- 

 acter of these examinations, the required 

 qualification, age limits, salaries at which ap- 

 pointments are made, etc., may be found in 

 the Manual of Examinations revised to July 

 1, 1903. 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. 

 Dr. H. W. Wiley, chief of the Bureau of 

 Chemistry, U. S. Department of Agriculture, 

 has returned from Europe, where he has 

 been studying the question of enforcing the 

 law in regard to the exclusion of adulterated 

 and falsely labeled food. 



