540 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. IV. No. 93. 



insect Lachnus Strobus, Fitch. The botanical 

 portion deals with a description of the region of 

 Ajusco and of Las Cruces explored, with an 

 enumeration of the plants collected, as also 

 meteorological tables showing the climate of 

 Guadalupe, Ajusco, City of Mexico, and Haci- 

 enda de Eslava for July, 1895, A description 

 of the plants new to the valley of Mexico forms 

 a portion of the pamphlet, the following plants 

 being noted, Halenia Candida Ramirez and 

 Passiflora eslavensis Ramirez. The pamphlet 

 closes with a discussion of hydrology of the 

 region, in which chemical analyses are shown 

 of the potable waters, which might be intro- 

 duced into use. 



3. One of the most interesting publications 

 recently issued by the National Medical Insti- 

 tute, under the auspices of the Secretary of 

 Agriculture and the direction of Fernando 

 Altamirano, is one dealing with the gradual 

 disappearance of Lake Texcoco, which is being 

 hastened by the drainage operations now being 

 carried forward to completion. The publication 

 entitled Estudios referentes a la Desecacion del 

 Lago de Texcoco Ana de 1895, Primera Parte, is 

 one of 126 pages, dealing first with the meteor- 

 ology of the region and the rate of evaporation 

 from the lake. The second portion deals with 

 the fauna of Lake Texcoco, by Prof. Herrera, 

 a most interesting study to the biologist ; a dis- 

 cussion of the influence of malaria on the 

 hygiene of the capital follows, with a descrip- 

 tion of the geography and climatology of the 

 lake, presented by Dr. Domingo Orvananos. 

 Accompanying the report are a series of 

 graphic tables illustrative of the evaporation 

 and meteorology of the lake. 

 4. Anales del Instituto Medico Nacional. Tomo I. 



Num. 8, Mexico, 1896. 



This number is devoted to Materia Medica, or 

 a pharmaceutical description of certain Mexican 

 plants, such as : Aristolochia fragrantissima, 

 Ruiz., A. fcetida, H. B. K., A. odoratissima, L., 

 A. anquicida, L. , Mikania Houstonis, Wild., M. 

 scandens. Wild. , Dorstenia contrayerba, L. , Pluchea, 

 odorata, Cav. , Erynguim aquaticum, L. , Poinsettia 

 pulcherrima, Graham, and a chemical study of 

 Jatropha spatulata. 



John W. Harshberger. 



University op Pennsylvania. 



NEW BOOKS. 

 Life Histories of North American Birds. Charles 

 Bendire. Washington, Government Print- 

 ing Office. 1895. Pp. ix + 518. 



A History of Elementary Mathematics. FloriAN 

 Cajori. New York and London, The Mac- 

 millan Company. 1896. Pp. viii -r 304. 



$1.50. 



An Outline of Psychology. Edward Bradford 

 TiTCHENER. London and New York, The 

 Macmillan Company. 1896. Pp. xiv + 352. 

 $1.50. 



The Crowd, A Study of the Popular Mind. Gus- 

 TAVE LE Bon. New York, The Macmillan 

 Company. 1896. Pp. xxiv + 230. $1.50. 



Education of the Central Nervous System. Reu- 

 ben Post Halleck. New York and London, 

 The Macmillan Company. Pp. ix + 258. 

 $1.00. 



Elements of Solid Geometry and Mensuration. 

 Henry Dallas Thompson. New York and 

 London, The Macmillan Company. 1896. 

 Pp. vii + 199. $1.25. 



Bontgen Bays and Phenomenon of the Anode and 

 Cathode. Edward P. Thompson and Wil- 

 liam A. Anthony. New York, D. Van 

 Nostrand Company. 1896. Pp. xix + 190. 



Beport of the Sixth Meeting of the Australasian As- 

 sociation for the Advancement of Science, held 

 at Brisbane, January, 1895. Edited by John 

 Shirley. Published by the Association, 

 Sydney, N. S. W. Pp. xxxiv+875. 



Peru : Beobachtungen und Studien iiber das Land 

 und seine Bewohner. E. W. Middendore. 

 Berlin, Robert Oppenheim, 1893, 1894, 

 1895. Vol. L, xxvii+638; Vol. H., xii+ 

 424 ; Vol. ni., xv+603. M. 48. 



Handbuch der Praktischen Gewerbehygiene mit 

 besonderer Beriicksichtigung der Unfallverhiit- 

 ung. Herausgegeben von Dr. H. Albrecht. 

 Mit 756 Figuren. Berlin, Robert Oppen- 

 heim. 1896. Pp. xi+1053. M. 27. 



Bulletin of the U. S. National Museum, No. 47; 

 The Fishes of North and Central America. Da- 

 vid Starr Jordan and Barton Warren 

 EvERMANN. Part I. Washington, Govern- 

 ment Printing Office: 1896. Pp. lx+1240. 



