266 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. V. No. 111. 



THE RED RACE OF MADAGASCAR. 



It is a curious fact that the older navi- 

 gators who visited Madagascar describe a 

 red race there, which now seems to be ex- 

 tinct. In the ' Bull, de la Soc. d'Anthro- 

 pologie,' of Paris (Tome VII., fasc. 5), 

 Dr. Bloch collects a number of extracts 

 bearing upon this. The red people are de- 

 scribed as tall, without beards, nose promi- 

 nent, hair straight and long, the features of 

 the European rather than Mongolian type, 

 and the color of the skin red or reddish. 

 This race, the description of which corre- 

 sponds singularly with that of the North 

 American Indian of the Algonquian or 

 Iroquoian stock, appears to have passed 

 out of existence about the middle of the last 

 century. It is to be hoped that at least 

 some ancient cemeteries may supply their 

 osseous remains. One writer, Flacourt, be- 

 lieves them to have been the ancestors of 

 the Hovas, but the physical traits do not 

 correspond. 



GLACIAL MAN IN OHIO. 



Especial interest attaches to an article 

 in the American Geologist for November, 1896, 

 by Professor E. W. Claypole, on ' Human 

 Relics in the Drift of Ohio.' 



It is principally taken up with the de- 

 scription of a polished slate axe disinterred 

 in 1886 from the bottom of a well, 22 feet 

 deep, near New London, Ohio. It was 

 neatly and symmetrically carved, and 

 deeply weathered. The stratum was a late 

 glacial deposit, lying directly upon the 

 boulder clay. 



Professor Claypole used all practicable pre- 

 cautions in examining the well digger who 

 found the specimen (ten years before), and 

 in confirming his statements. He presents 

 the evidences of authenticity with as much 

 conclusiveness as they will bear; and he 

 meets the various objections which will arise 

 from the length of time, from the artistic 

 finish of the specimen and from the veracity 



of the witness. His article is excellently 

 studied, and if it fails to convince, it will 

 be from the weakness of the case, not from 

 deficiencies in presenting it. 



D. G. Brinton. 

 TJniveesity of Pennsylvania. 



NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. 



The question as to whether illuminating 

 gas or fuel gas is completely consumed in 

 an ordinary burner possesses a considerable 

 interest, not only from an economic, but 

 also from a hygienic standpoint, since even 

 small quantities of carbonic oxid are dan- 

 gerous to health. Investigations have 

 shown that in free burning flames, as well 

 as in the "Welsbach burner, practically no 

 unconsumed gas is given off, but doubt has 

 been thrown by the experiments of Vivian 

 B. Lewes on flames which impinge on cold 

 surfaces, as in gas stoves for cooking and 

 under water baths in the laboratory. This 

 point has been carefully studied at the 

 Technische Hochschule at Karlsruhe by F. 

 Haber and A. Weber, and their results 

 show that with a sufficient supply of air, 

 even under cold surfaces, the gas is com- 

 pletely burned, but if the air supply is in- 

 sufficient decided quantities of carbonic 

 oxid may be formed. Thus with the labor- 

 atory Bunsen no danger is to be appre- 

 hended, but with gas stoves care is neces- 

 sary to see that there is a plentiful air 

 supply. 



In continuing his work upon metallic 

 lithium M. Guntz finds that it has a strong 

 affinity for carbon, forming a carbid Li^Cj, 

 which is decomposed by water with the 

 formation of acetylene. When lithium is 

 heated in contact with carbon it unites with 

 it directly. When compounds which give 

 lithium by dissociation, as lithium hydrid 

 or lithium nitrid, are heated with carbon,, 

 the carbid is formed, in the latter case ac- 

 companied by large quantities of lithium 

 cyanid. Carbonic oxid and carbon dioxid 



