January 13, 1893.] 



SCIENCE. 



25 



in confirming or modifying this view. In Greenland it is asso- 

 ciated with ferns of the order Gleichenialese and at least four 

 species of Cycas, all of which goes to prove that the climate at the 

 time they grew was probably tropical, or at least very warm. In 

 North America the Laramie bread-fruit tree was associated with 

 an abundance of palms, which also argue a warm climate, but in 

 the same beds are found a host of genera (Salix, Populus, Quercus, 

 Juglans, Carga, Magnolia, Ginkgo, Taxodium, Sequoia, etc.), 

 which point with stronger force to a probably temperate climate. 

 The Pacific coast species was found with genera usually relied 

 upon to px'ove a temperate climate, and while it was undoubtedly 

 warmer than now, for the present forest vegetation is mainly or 

 largely coniferous, there is little beside this to show that it was 

 actually tropical. 



NOTES ON MARS AND METEORS. 



BY E. MILLER, LAWBBNCB, KANSAS. 



The recent opposition of Mars, the appearance of Holmes's 

 comet, and the meteoric display of the night of Nov. 23, 1892, 

 were events that concentrated the attention not only of the gen- 

 eral scientific world, but of specialists also, more largely than 

 such events ever did before. It was thought that some of the 

 celestial riddles were about to be solved, that some positive ad- 

 dition, neither nebulous nor fragmentary in its character, was to 

 be made. Now, that they have all become things of the past, 

 and it becomes possible to sum up the results of all the labor per- 

 formed, theories propounded and exploded, and computations 

 made, it is no wonder that the " ol iroUoi " ever impatient to see 

 tangible results, and always clamorous in demanding large re- 

 turns for even the smallest expenditures of time, labor, and 

 money, are shouting " imposture." But science is not to be 

 balked in this way; there is no release from this war. 



The position of Mars relatively to the earth was such during 

 the recent opposition that the best instruments and the best ob- 

 servers were at a great disadvantage. The results were not alto- 

 gether satisfactory and in many cases were at variance with old 

 theories and with each other. The observations made in this 

 country, east of the Rocky Mountains, were scarcely of any value 

 at all in the most of them, owing to the hazy condition of the 

 atmosphere, as well as the low altitude of Mars. But west of the 

 Rocky Mountains, especially along the Pacific coast, notably at 

 Lick Observatory and the mountain observatory, near Arequipa, 

 Peru, the conditions were the best attainable. At Guaymas, 

 Mexico, on the coast of the Gulf of California, in latitude 27° 30' 

 N., the writer, about the middle of August, 1892, was impressed 

 with the splendid appearance of Mars. The planet shone with a 

 brilliancy that was almost, if not altogether, as great as it was at 

 the opposition of 1877. Venus and Jupiter, also, seemed to have 

 received extra touches of brilliancy that generally are not so pro- 

 nounced in latitude 39° N. 



Guaymas, located as it is on the shore of the Gulf of California, 

 and surrounded by mountains ranging from a thousand to two 

 thousand feet in height, with a sky that is always of the deepest 

 blue, possesses advantages of a very superior kind, for an astro- 

 nomical observatory. The great objection to such a location, to 

 a northerner, would be the intense heat of the summer. In addi- 

 tion to the advantages for astronomical work, the harbor of 

 Guaymas, as well as the Gulf itself, offers facilities and material 

 for the study of marine life, that are beyond a doubt unsurpassed. 

 A well-equipped biological station and some good biologists would 

 soon furnish to the scientific world splendid results. 



At midnight of August 18, 1892, as the writer was entering 

 the open court of a large adobe house in Guaymas, in company 

 with two or three friends, one of the most beautiful of celestial 

 sights greeted their astonished vision. Suddenly from blue con- 

 cave of the heavens, about midway between the zenith and the 

 pole star, a meteor of the largest size shot out with a splendor of 

 color such as is not often seen. The orange, red, violet, and 

 other colors, were deep and most handsome to behold. Appar- 

 ently, the meteor seemed to be moving from its initial point in a 

 southerly direction, and bad a disc, so to speak, almost equal to 



that of the full moon, and a train following that was remarkable 

 for its width as well as its length. The train was broken into- 

 blocks of color that made this celestial visitant in all its outline, 

 size, color, and general appearance, an intensely interesting ob- 

 ject. 



The stream of meteors, called the Andromedes, which our 

 planet encountered on the 23d of November, made a very good 

 display here in Kansas. Although no attempt was made to count 

 the number or estimate the total fall of meteors during the night, 

 except at intervals of five or ten minutes, yet judging from what 

 was done in this discontinuous manner there must have been an 

 average of from sixty to one hundred meteors per minute from 9 

 to 11 P.M. The " radiant point " was in Andromeda, from which 

 by far the greater number seemed to start. Many others, appar- 

 ently, had no connection with the "radiant," for they shot out 

 from other points of the sky and at every moment. Generally, 

 the meteors were small, but at times one more brilliant than the 

 others appeared, adding very much to the interest of the ob- 

 server. During the next four nights following the night of the 

 23d, it was hoped that a finer display would make its appearance, 

 but two of the nights were overcast with clouds, and the other 

 two, although clear, offered no show. 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



»*« Correspondents are requested to be as brief as possible. The tenters name 

 is in all cases required as proof of good faith. 



On request in advance, one hundred copies of the number containing his 

 communication will t>e furnished free to any correspondent. 



The editor will be glad to publish any queries consonant with the character 

 of the journal. 



Breathing Wells. 



Referring to the article of Mr. J. T. Willard in Science for Dec. 

 16, with reference to a "breathing well" in Kansas, I would say 

 that such wells are also common in Nebraska. I have compared 

 their behavior with the fluctuations of the barometer, and my ob- 

 servations agree with those of the writer in showing the entire 

 dependenceof the air movements in the well upon the changes in 

 the atmospheric pressure outside. The cessation of an outward 

 current from the well always corresponds with a curve of baro- 

 metric depression, but always occurs some hours later than the 

 minimum of pressure, and the amount of retardation depends 

 upon the slowness with which the barometer rises. 



These wells have often given considerable trouble in cold 

 weather as the influx of cold air is liable to freeze the water in 

 the pump at a considerable depth below the surface of the 

 ground. GOODWIN D. SwEZET. 



Crete, Neb., Dec. 23. 



Hybridism in Genus Colaptes. 



According to the resume of hybridism in the genus Colaptes 

 by Professor Rhoads in Science for Dec. 9, it would appear that 

 King's River was out of the limit of variation. Still I found one 

 adult male of C. cafer at Dunlap, Cal., in the Sierra Nevadas, 

 about 3, .500 feet elevation, a perfect representative in every way 

 save the occipital mark of C. auratus. 



I also found an adult male in Cantua Creek, in the coast range, 

 with the same marking. The former was in January, 1891, the 

 latter in April. 1892. As both of these were found dead, I thought 

 possibly the marking might have been caused by old age; but 

 more probably they were stragglers from the north. 



Alvah a. Eaton. 



Elverdale, Cal., Dec. S6. 



How Shall I Study Ants ? 



Can some naturalist refer me to some article or book, or tell me 

 himself how I can best keep a colony of ants, for inspection. 



DWIGHT GODDABD. 

 Hosmer Hall, Hartford, Conn., Jan. 6. 



