September 29, 1893.] 



SCIENCE. 



181 



glyphs presented in a work so accessible and recent as 

 Dr. Antonio Penafiel's " Nombres Geograficos de Mexico ; 

 Estudio Jeroglifico," it is scarcely excusable for those who 

 study American archaeology either to overlook or to mis- 

 understand this system of writing. D. G. Beinton. 



Media, Pa., Sept. 19. 



A Curious Ear of Indian Corn. 



A cuKious freak of nature was recently discovered in a 

 garden in this city. A stalk of maize or Indian corn 

 failed to develop any ears at the regular places in the 

 axils of the leaves, but instead a single spike of pistillate 

 flowers (an ear) appeared at the end of the central pedicel 

 of the tassel. This ear was about three inches in length, 

 and ajDparently well formed, except that it lacked glumes. 

 So being exposed to the sun its color was light green. 

 The styles were perfectly developed, and six inches to a 

 foot in length. The places of a few of the grains were 

 occui)ied by staminate flowers. 



Unfortunately this ear was not allowed to grow, and I 

 am unable to say whether it would have developed any 

 perfect grains or not. 



Is it a reversion to some ancient form; or only an acci- 

 dental variation? O. H. Heeshet. 



Freeport, 111. 



A Mouse Destroying Its Young. 



I ONCE had an ojsportunity of studying a mouse in a 

 cage with a revolving wheel which it was fond of turning, 

 as squirrels are larger but similar wheels. This cage had 

 an apartment over the wheel in which it built a nest from 



cotton furnished to it. It gave birth to three young mice 

 in the lov/er aj)artment, and after a little while removed 

 them to the nest above. One of these young fell out of 

 the nest to the space below. The mother carefully car- 

 ried it back again. It fell out a second time and was 

 once more replaced. It fell out a third time. The 

 mother then seized it as if angry and unwilling to waste 

 her energies on so troublesome an offspring, and de- 

 voured it with no more feeling than if it had been a bit 

 of cheese. M. L. Holbeook. 



Genealogical Table of Plants. 



Could you or any of the readers of Science inform me 

 through your columns where I can find a printed list or 

 table showing the supposed relationships of the common- 

 est genera of plants under the theory of evolution ? In 

 other words, I should wish to find a genealogical table of 

 plants from the earliest times to the present day. Has 

 any such work been attempted ? Thomas Maewick. 



New York, Sept. 21, 1893. 



Number-forms. 

 NuMBEE-FOEMs, such as described by Mr. Martin and Mr. 

 Talcott Williams in recent issues of Science, were first 

 brought to notice by Mr. Francis Galton in Nature, Jan. 

 15, 1880. In his " Inquiries into Human Faculty " (Mac- 

 millan, 1883) there are illustrations of more than fifty 

 varieties of number-forms. A still larger number is given 

 in a recent book by Flom-noy (Des Phenomenes de Syn- 

 opsie, Alcan., 1893). J. McKeen Cattell 



Columbia College, N. Y., Sept. 19. 



Horsford's Acid Phosphate 



Is the most effective and agreeable 

 remedy in existence for preventing 

 indigestion, and relieving those dis- 

 eases arising from a disordered 

 stomach. 



Dr. W. "^^ Gardner, Spring- 

 field, Mass., says, "I value it as an excel- 

 lent preventative of indigestion, and a 

 pleasant acidtdated drink when proper- 

 ly diluted with water, and sweetened." 



Descriptive pamphlet free on application to 



Rumford Chemical Works, Providence, R. I. 



Beware of Substitutes and Imitations. 



For sale by all Druggists. 



[Free of cliarg'e to all, if of satisfactory character. 

 Address N. D. C. Hodges, 874 Broadway, New 

 York.] 



For Sale.— A coUectioii of fossiURliinoceru& bones 

 (Aphelops fossiger Cope.) from the Loup Fork Ter- 

 tiary, includiDg all the bones of one fore and one 

 hind leg, the pelvis, representative vertebrae and 

 ribs, and a nearly complete skull, with complete 

 lower jaws. All the bones of the limbs are perfect. 

 Price §250. Address Dept. of Paleontology, Uni- 

 versity of Kansas, Lawrence. 



For Exchange. — Books and pamphlets on geology, 

 ornithology, conchology, and entomology. State 

 what line and I w^ill send list. I want Odonotafrom 

 any locality, a-^d literature on this group. M. J. 

 Elrod, 111. Wes. Univ., Bloomington, 111. 



For a rare chance to get a first-class microscopic- 

 al outfit write for full particulars to box 125, Sel- 

 lersville, Bucks Co., Pa. 



For sale or exchange. — A fine collection of Lep 

 idoptera, native and exotic. For particulars ad- 

 dress Addison Ellsworth, Binghamton, N. Y., care 

 Republican. 



For sale or exchange for works on entomostraca, 

 WoUe's "Desmids of the U.S.," Hentz "Spiders of 

 the U.S.," The Amer. Entomologist & Botanist, 

 Vol. 2, The Amer. Entomologist. Vol. i, Harris's 

 ''Insects Injurious to Vegetation,' colored plates, 

 copy formerly owned by Townend Glover. C. 

 Pwight Marsh, Ripon, Wis. 



"The Conchologist : a Journal of Malacology," 

 Vols. I and 2, with wood cuts and plates, value 12 | - 

 will exchange for any works or pamphlets on Amer- 

 ican Slugs or Anatonry of American Fishes. W. E. 

 Coilinge, Mason College, Birmingham, England. 



Wants. 



W: 



ANTED.— A recent college graduate to assist in 

 editorial work on Science. Those seeking 

 large emoluments need not apply. N. D. C. 



A GRADUATE in medicine, experienced, will 

 '^ prepare or revise scientific and medical manu- 

 script for publication, read proof, compile bibliog- 

 raphies, &.O. Will also consult New York libraries 

 for persons out of town wishing references to rare 

 works. Address M. D. , 104 Cambridge Place, 

 Brooklyn, N. Y. 



pOR SALE.— Volumes V. and VI. of the "Explor- 

 ^ ations for a Railroad Route from the Missis- 

 sippi River to the Pacific," 1857, half calf, in good 

 condition; a large number of colored and uncolored 

 plates of Mammals, Birds, Fish, etc.,' etc. On 

 receipt of $7.00 will send to any ordinary poitt in 

 the U. S., express paid. These volumes are now 

 rare. Address Dr. Shufeldt, Takoma Park, Dist. of 

 Columbia. 



A YOUNG woman who has been an assistant for 

 ^ a literary and scientific man desires a similar 

 position. Is an experienced and accurate stenog- 

 rapher and typewriter, thoroughly educated, and 

 sufficiently familiar with literary work to write, in- 

 dependent of dictation. Has some knowledge 

 of the Spanish language. Will go to any part of the 

 United States. Address, Box 147, Ravenna, Ohio 



A GRADUATE of an American Polytechnic insti- 

 ■^ tution and of a German University (Gottingen), 

 seeks a position to teach chemistrv in a college or 

 similar institution. Five years^ experience in 

 teaching chemistry. Address Chemist, 757 Car y St. 

 Brockton, Mass. 



\X/ ANTED. —A position as teacher of Biology, by 

 *' an experienced teacher, a college gi'aduate 

 with four university post-graduate courses in the 

 Sciences. Good endorsements, and eighteen years' 

 experience. Address A. N. Somers, La Porte, Ind 



