January 20, 1893.] 



SCIENCE. 



39 



east, so the seeminir preference for the willow may be owing to 

 lack of drinking-placps elsewhei'e. 



It would be interesting to know if the other species of this genus 

 were addicled ro the same habit. Who knows? 



Alvah a. Eaton. 



Rlverdale, I'resno Couoty, Cal , Dec. 26. 



A Peculiar Fire. 



In The Ladies' Home Journal for January is an account of a 

 fire from gasoline that originated in a rather peculiar manner. A 

 lady was cleaning a Brussels carpet with gasoline. She had 

 cleaned aboat one-third of the carpet when she noticed one spot 

 that looked a little dull and which must have a little more rub- 

 bing. She says, "I gave one quick, hard rub, the cloth in my 

 hand ignited. There was a sort of a puff, and the flames went 

 creeping all over the carpet I had cleaned." The explanation 

 suggested was that the friction iiiniied the gasoline, but no sug- 

 gestion is made as to vvhecher that was caused by raising the tern 

 perature to a high degree as might ordinarily happen by friction 

 or whether it was otherwise. 



Some of my experience in the cold, dry climate of Minnesota 

 hassuggested a very plausible explanation for this accident, which 

 seems surprising that such accidents are not more frequent. Our 

 sleeping-room has an ingrain carpet from which we get marked 

 electrical experiences. On a cold morning one can hardly take a 

 step without being strongly electrified. By shuffling across the 

 carpet, taking only two steps, I have many times drawn a spark 

 one-eighth of an inch long. By taking a dozen shuffling steps 

 and touching the water faucet I have several times drawn a spark 

 nearly one-half of an inch long. Indeed, it is so common and so 

 excessive that it is quite uncomfortable. 1 have several times 

 thought seriously of getting up some arrangement for gradually 

 dissipating the charge on one's body, so that we can avoid the un- 

 pleasant shock when using the water. It should be stated that 

 this high degree of electrification is not an every-day experience, 

 but it is very common when the thermometer in the room goes 

 below 50° or 40° Fahr. 



A similar experience is very common here when one is putting 

 on a fur overcoat or one simply with a fur collar. The simple 

 rubbing of the fur in putting on the coat will so electrify it that 

 one gets a pjickly sensation from the charge from the collar when 

 it is turned up against one's neck. Quite frequently simply pick- 

 ing up a flannel undergarment will so electrify it that one hears a 

 decided crackling. These experiences are very common here in 

 Minnesota with the dry atmosphere, and are quite surprising to 

 one accustomed to the more moist climate of New York of the 

 sea-coast. 



This experience suggests at once that the gasoline in the case 

 above noted was ignited by an electric spark caused by rubbing 

 the carpet. G. D. Shepakdson. 



University o£ Minn., Minneapolis, Minn. 



Electrical Phenomena on Mountains. 



The experience of Mr. Chariton and the relation of Mr. Stone, 

 as given in Science Sept. 23 and Dec. 2, have a parallel in the ac- 

 count of a traveller in Italy in 1814, who is quoted in the volume 

 of Inne's Telescope for 1837, under the heading of " Curious Effects 

 of Electricity upon Mount .^tna," and from which I extract as 

 under. 



"June 2, 1814. Before midday two travellers were returning 

 from the mountain, guided by VicenzaCarbonaro, one of the guides 

 from Nicolesi. They had arrived in the Piano del Huga, when, 

 expecting a hail-storm, they quickened their pace. Walking on 

 frozen snow, Carbonaro was the most advanced of the party, he 

 felt his hair stand on end, his forehead and the skin of his face 

 felt benumbed, and he heard a hissing noise. He took off his cap 

 and his hair became more bristled, and the whistling noise more 

 powerful The traveller nearest to Carbonaro also heard a hum- 

 ming sound, and asked the guide what it was; he could not give 

 any reason for it, and he stopped, supposing he was dizzy. In 

 the meantime they approached each other and were pleased with 

 the magic sound. The traveller turned to call his companion, 



who was at a little distance, and made a sign to him with his 

 hand, the hand when riised produced a much stronger sound, so 

 much so, that moving the fingers singularly modulated it. The 

 traveller approached and heard the sound produced by the head 

 and body of his companion, but, not having entered the current 

 of electric air, his repeated attempts produced no sound. Finally, 

 the three persons having joined, they experienced great pleasure, 

 as with moving their fingers they produced the above extraor- 

 dinary effect. In the meantime the hail-storm fell on them, and, 

 being rather curious than erudite, they resolved to prosecute 

 their journey downwards, without caring to make further investi- 

 gation. Scarcely had they gone a few paces, advancing beyond 

 the electric air, than the sounds ceased." Geo. Clulow. 



51 Bel-Ize Avenue, Hampstead, N. W., London, Jan 2. 



Maya Codices. 



As the controversy between Dr. Seler and myself has drifted 

 into mere criticisms of each others' statements, and no serious 

 attempt to test my interpretations or to show that they are incor- 

 rect has been made, I think a continuance on this line would be 

 unprofitable. I therefore close it, on my part, by suggesting to 

 students of the Maya Codices that it might be worth the trouble 

 to test my interpretations by an attempt to apply them in deciph- 

 ering other combinations. I also call Dr. Seler's attention to 

 the fact, that, notwithstanding his firm belief to the contrary, 

 there is a numeral designation with a cross 6g<weew the dots in the 

 bottom line of Dres. 46, — 2 Kayab. Moreover, it is precisely of 

 the form shown in his Figs. 17, 19, and 20, Science, Jan. 6, 1893. 



Cyrus Thomas, 



Washington, B.C., Jan, 16. 



BOOK-REVIEWS. 



Experimental Evolution. By Henet de Vaeignv. London and 

 New York, Macmillan & Co. |1.50. 



Throughout the whole line of oiological research the progress 

 of advance has been from statical to dynamical science. 1 he 

 first study is always a study of facts of nature as they exist, of 

 their relations to each other and of their hi.story. Later follows 

 the study of nature in motion accompanied by experimental work 

 and an endeavor to modify the activities of nature. Already bi- 

 ologists have inaugurated the science of experimental evolution, 

 and this book by De Varigny is designed to start biologists to the 

 study of a new science which the author calls experimental evo- 

 lution. This work consists of a series of lectures originally de- 

 livered by the author before the Summer School of Art and Sci- 

 ence at Edinburgh. The author points out that while the various 

 lines of biological research, embryological, paleontological and 

 mcrphological, all point in the direction of evolutionary theory, 

 they fail to be conclusive demonstrations of evolution, because 

 no one of them shows us the process of evolution in action. 

 Evolution is an inference from the facts, but not a demonstrated 

 truth. There is needed as a final test experimental study in re- 

 gard to the production of new species by process of nature. To 

 the discussion of the possibility of this branch of experimentation, 

 these lectui'es are devoted. The author first summarizes, in an 

 extremely interesting fashion, the chief lines of fact which have 

 been collected in connection with variations of animals in na- 

 ture. Second, in a similar way, he summarizes and discusses 

 variations which are known in animals under domestication. 

 Third, he endeavors to show how these variations are under the 

 influence of conditions; conditions of environment, conditions of 

 heredity, conditions of interbreeding, etc.; and, last, he tries to 

 point out how it may be possible in the future for the experiment- 

 er so to regulate these conditions of environment as to cause at will 

 actual changes to take place in the structure and characteristics 

 of animals and plants which may result in the not too greatly dis- 

 tant future in the production of new species and hence in the 

 final demonstration of a doctrine of evolution. Although large- 

 ly a compilation the work is withal interspersed with many new 

 and interesting observations made by the author in connection 

 with the subjects discussed, the changes in the structure and 



