566 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. IV. No. 94. 



directions. There are about 30 geologic and 

 paleontologic parties in the field, a large force 

 of topographic surveyors and a large force en- 

 gaged in the several branches of hydrographic 

 work. The scope of the work of stream gaug- 

 ing and investigating the subject of under- 

 ground currents and artesian wells has been 

 materially extended this year. 



The Director spent several weeks studying 

 the Cambrian rocks and faunas of southwestern 

 Nevada, and at last reports was in the desert 

 region in Inyo county, Cal. He will not return 

 to Washington before November 1st. In his 

 absence Col. H. C. Eizer, the Chief Clerk, is 

 the executive head of the Survey. 



Mr. R. T. Hill, who went to Indian Ter- 

 ritory to continue his studies of the geology 

 of the region, was soon forced to discontinue 

 by a severe attack of malarial fever. His 

 condition was for sometime a precarious one, 

 but he is now on the road to recovery. The 

 topographic force in Indian Territory suffered 

 a great deal from malarial fever in August and 

 September. 



POPULAR INSTRUCTION IN NATURAL HISTORY. 



According to the London Times ah experi- 

 ment has been uadertaken in London which 

 might with advantage be tried in America. 

 The Library Commissioners of the public lib- 

 rary of St. George's, Hanover Square, London, 

 have set apart a large room for the study of 

 natural history on a plan presenting several 

 novel features. The essential point is the 

 combination of a complete library with a mu- 

 seum so arranged as to be self-explanatory. 

 The two are the pi'oper complements of each 

 other, and together form a thorough introduc- 

 tion to natural history, or gradus ad naturam, 

 as it may be called, the like of which has never 

 yet been offered to the public. Both the books 

 and the specimens are an anonymous gift, and 

 they represent the labors of a lifetime. 



The collection is so arranged and classified 

 as to give the elementary student an intelligent 

 grasp of the whole domain of natural history 

 or of any section of it. The general idea is to 

 lead on from one thing to another. A few 

 choice cases are placed on the landing outside 



the room to attract the attention of the casual 

 visitor, and a plan of the collection meets his 

 eye before entering. Inside he finds himself 

 confronted by a general scheme of the whole 

 subject, equally clear, simple and comprehen- 

 sive. It strikes the keynote of the collector's 

 purpose, which is to ' start with the foundation 

 of a systematic classification,? and it enumer- 

 ates with illustrations ' the 25 classes of the ani- 

 mal world.' A few quotations from this 

 scheme will exemplify the method adopted. 

 The 25 classes are grouped in five divisions, 

 and the first of these is described as follows : 



Division I. (the backboned animals) contains 

 Classes 1 to 5 — namely: (1) mammals; (2) birds; (3) 

 reptiles ; (4) amphibians ; (5) fishes. They are all 

 alike, because they have : (a) an inside framevrork of 

 bone ; (6) a long backbone ; (c) a spinal cord ; (d) 

 four limbs ; (e) red blood ; and they are called 

 BACKBONED ANIMALS {vertebrata. ) 



Each class is further described in a pai'allel 

 column and illustrated by a specimen. Thus, 

 Class 1 is illustrated by a dormouse, with the 

 following description : 



This dormouse and similar backboned animals 

 feed their young with milk, are covered vpith hairs, 

 prickles or spines ; their four limbs end in feet, 

 hands, scrapers or paddles ; they have a four-cham- 

 bered heart and vrarm blood ; they breath with lungs, 

 and (as they feed their young with milk) they form 

 Class 1, MAMMALS {mamma, a teat). 



THE U. S. COAST-LINE BATTLE-SHIP f OREGON.' 



The Journal of the American Society of Naval 

 Engineers, in the issue of August, 1896, con- 

 tains an article of great value and interest, by 

 Mr. Leo D. Morgan, on the Contract-Trial of 

 the ' Oregon.' 



This is a sister ship to the * Indiana ' and 

 the ' Massachusetts, ' a twin-screw, armored 

 coast-line battle-ship, displacing 10,250 tons at 

 24 feet draught, and was built by the Union Iron 

 Works of San Francisco, at a cost of $3,180,000 

 plus $43,000 for changes in construction while 

 under contract. The contract-trial of this great 

 iron-clad took place in May last, and the re- 

 corded and ofiicially accepted speed was re- 

 ported as 16.79 knots. The guaranteed speed 

 was 15 knots, and the contractors won a bonus 

 of $175,000 on the excess above that figure. 

 Had the speed fallen below the guarantee, they 



