uy^ 



SCIENCE. 



Editorial Committee : S. Newcomb, Mathematics ; R. S. Woodward, Jlechanies ; E. C. Pickering, As- 

 tronomy ; T. C. llENDENHALL, Physics ; R. H. THrnsTON, Engineering ; Ira Remsex, Chemistry ; 

 Joseph Le CoKte, Geology; W. M. Davis, Physiography; O. C. Marsh, Paleontology; W. K. 

 Brooks, Invertebrate Zoology ; C. Hart Merriam, Vertebrate Zoology ; N. L. Britton, 

 Botany ; Henry F. Osborn, General Biology ; H. P. Bowditch, Physiology ; 

 J. S. Billings, Hygiene ; J. McKeen Cattell, Psychology ; 

 Daniel G. Beinton, J. W. Powell, Anthropology. 



Friday, April 19, 1895. 



CONTENTS: 



On Marine Mollusks from the Pampean Formation : 

 H. VON Ihering 421 



IW of the Initial Capital in Specific Names of Plants : 

 F."H. Knowlton 423 



Dcnsiti/ anil Diameter of Terrestrial Planets : E. S. 

 Wheeler 424 



The Distribution of the Blow Gun: WALTER 

 Hough 425 



Psychologi/ : E. B. TiTCHENER 426 



Loss of Professor Jlilnc's Seismological Apparatus, 

 Library and Collection : T. C. M 431 



Correspondence : — 433 



The Ideal Index to Scientific Literature: G. 

 Brown Goode. 



Scientific Literature : — 437 



Chapman's Birds of Eastern North America : C. 

 Hart Merriam. National Geographical Mono- 

 graphs : W. M. Davis. Purneaux' Butterflies 

 and Moths: S. H. S. Qualrefages's Pygmies: 

 D. G. Brinion. Scott's Structural Botany: 

 Albert Schneider. 



Notes and Neios : — 444 



Argon; Paleontology ; Sir William Dawson; Gen- 

 eral. 



Societies and Academies: — 447 



Aeademi) of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia; 

 New York Academy of Sciences; The Texas 

 Academy of Science. 



Scientific Journals 448 



New Books 448 



MSS. intended for publication and books, etc., intended 

 for review should be sent to the responsible editor. Prof. J. 

 McKeen Cattell. Garrison on Hudson. N. Y. 



Subscriptions ami ad\ertiseraents should be sent to Science, 

 41 N. Queen St.. Lancaster. Pa., or 11 East 49th St., New York. 



ON MARINE MOLLUSKS FROM THE PAMPEAN 

 FORMATION. 

 It is known that D'Orbigny considered 

 the pampas as a marine formation, Bur- 

 meister as a fliivio-lacustrine deposit. In a 

 paper on the Lagoa dos patos, in 1885, I re- 



referred to conditions which I considered 

 important for the study of such formations 

 as the Pampean. All discussions hitherto 

 lay great stress on the absence of marine 

 fossils in the Pampean mud. But this fact 

 itself seems to rest partly on the belief of 

 Burmeister that marine organisms are not 

 to be found in the formation. 



Burmeister (Descr. Phys. Rep. Arg. II., 

 1876, p. 177) having seen fragments of an 

 AstretM found at a depth of two meters at 

 San Nicolas, and believing that their pres- 

 ence was due to some disturbance of the 

 beds, said that it is not possible to under- 

 stand how they could have reached the 

 localitj' where they were found. 



Burmeister's view, above cited, will be 

 essentially modified by the announcement 

 which I am able to make of the following 

 list of marine shells received by me from 

 the distinguished Argentine paleontologist, 

 Dr. Florentino Ameghino. The specimens 

 are from the ' formacion pampeana, piso 

 belgranense', near La Plata. 



Piii-pura luemastoma L. 



Nassa polygona Orb. 



Bullia deforinis King. 



Olivancillaria auricularia Lam. 



Voluta brasiliana Sol. 



Litorina flava King. 



Litoridina australis Orb. 



Crepidula fornicata? Lam. 



Ostrea cristata Born. 



Ostrea puelchana Orb. 



