82 



SCIENCE. 



Vol. XXII. No. 549 



Explanatory. 



Belations of preliistory to history and to anthrojDology, 

 both physical and ethnological. 



Systematic. 



1. Introductory. History of the science. Sources of 

 information, literary and monumental, with critical esti- 

 mates of their values. 



2. Methodical ^presentation. Geographical and ethnic 

 divisions. Factors of evolution, as discovery, borrowing, 

 alteration, descent. Special forms, as language, religion, 

 law, family, government, clothing, food, ornament, com- 

 merce, etc. 



3. TyjDological presentation. Models of workshoj)s, 

 hou.ses, fortresses, altars, sepulchres; also weajjons, tools, 

 utensils, etc. ; their use and development. 



4. Historical presentation. First, with reference to 

 natural history, the origin, races, varieties and migrations 

 of men; second, cultural history, as the stone, bronze 

 and iron ages; the palaeolithic and neolithic periods; 

 proto-historic culture; dawn of civilization, etc. 



This scheme appears to offer a comprehensive j)lan for 

 bringing the science before a class. 



Migration of the Aztecs. 



The Society of Geography and Statistics of the Eepub- 

 lic of Mexico has just issued a second edition of a work 

 by its first secretary, the licentiate Eustaquio Buelna, en- 

 titled "Peregrinacion de los Aztecas, y Nombres Geografi- 

 cos Indigenas de Sinaloa." 



The iirst edition was published in 1887, and received a 

 certain measure of praise on account of the new material 

 it offered concerning the tribes and languages of north- 

 western Mexico. This has been added to in the present 

 edition, and in this resjject it is welcome; but that the 

 author has seen fit to exj^and and illustrate his theories 

 on the pre-historic migrations of the Aztecs, is to be re- 

 gretted, as he does but disseminate under the name of the 

 society various exploded errors. 



"When, for instance, shall we hear the last of the 

 "Atlantis ?" Over and over again, its existence has been 

 disproved, but it is ever rising in the minds of those who 

 do not know what time o' day it is in science. How often 



must it be shown that the name "Atlantic" has nothing to 

 do with "Aztlan" or "Aztalan," but is a Berber word 

 meaning "mountain." Yet Buelna repeats and adoj^ts 

 these eighteenth century etymologies. Our faith in his 

 acquirements in the Nahuatl language wanes coiisiderably 

 when Ave find him (-p. 323) deriving the word nahuatl 

 from nahui, four, and atl, water, for it is elementary that 

 the terminal il is drojoped in composition. Of course, the 

 "Toltecs" figure largely, although their existence as a na- 

 tion has been disproved. 



It cannot be said that Senor Buelna has apjjroached 

 this jjart of his subject with the requisite knowledge of 

 its literature; and one cannot but regret that he seems 

 unacquainted with the voluminous writings of Busoh- 

 mann on the j)roper names and languages of Sinaloa and 

 Sonora. 



Note on Crotalus Adamanteus. 



February 22, students while out collecting birds shot a 

 diamond rattlesnake, Crotalus adamanteus, Beau., that 

 measured five feet ten inches in length and nine inches 

 around the thickest portion of the body. From the 

 glossiness of the scales it is thought that it had recently 

 moulted. There were only five rattles and a button pres- 

 ent, which seems quite remarkable for such a long rej^tile. 

 If I am not mistaken, such large animals of this sj)ecies 

 usually have more. 



These animals, though once quite abundant, are becom- 

 ing cpiite iincommon. The demand for their skins and 

 rattles to make into Florida has done much to destroy 

 this venomous animal. The skin is made into belts and 

 neckties, while the rattles are used for sets on the ties and 

 elsewhere. P. H. Eolfs. 



Fla. AgT. Coll., Lake Citj', Fla, 



BOOK-REVIEWS. 



Le Lait par P. Langlois. Paris, Gauthier-Villars et Fils, 

 Quai des Grands-Augustins, 55. 188p. 8o. 



La Biere par L. Lindet. Paris, Gauthier-Villars et Fils, 

 Quai des Grands-Augustins, 55. 206p. 8°. 

 The above treatise on Milk, by P. Langlois, Chief of the 



AMERICAN SC1E!^CE SERIES. 



Sedgwick & Wilson's Biology, 



HENRY HOLT & CO., N.Y 



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?=IS;«Ep<Mi^N;AS:teifc:l89;LA SALLE 5K. 



FOSSIL RESINS. 



This book is the result of an attempt to 

 collect the scattered notices of fossil resins, 

 exclusive of those on amber. The work is of 

 interest also on account of descriptions given 

 of the insects found embedded in these long- 

 preserved exudations from early vegetation. 



By CLARENCE LOWN and HENRY BOOTHi 



13°. $1. 



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 STEEL PENS. 



Of SUPERIOR AND SIANDARD QUALITY. 

 Leading Nos.: 048, 14, 130, 135, 239, 333 



For Sale by all Stationers. 



THE ESTERBROOK STEEL PEN GO. 



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S.I 



