570 BOOK REVIEWS. 



fume and causing them to fly loose about a room, scattering the drops from 

 their feathers over the heads and garments of those who were feasting be- 

 neath. Besides the luxury of mere adornment, there were most imjDortant 

 duties reserved for certain scents. The essence of quince was given as a 

 preservative against dyspepsia and lethai-gy, the odor extracted from vine 

 leaves for clearing the brain, and that of white violets to promote diges- 

 tion. — Journal Applied Science. 



Cement for Fastenincj Knives and Forks into their Handles. — Take 

 one pound rosin and half pound of powdered sulphur; melt together, and 

 mix in about twelve ounces of fine sand or powdered brick. Fill 

 the cavity of the handle with this mixture, melted. Make the shank of the 

 knife or fork quite warm and insert in place and let it remain until cold, when 

 it will be found to be firmly fixed. The handles of knives and forks should 

 not be put in hot water. 



A subscriber says a pen scratches because the inside corners wear offV 

 and look like the bottom of a /^. To restore it, rub the end square and 

 even on a whetstone. Bring the slope of the nib to a jDoint to suit you. 

 Then, holding the pen nearly upright, roll it around, holding the nib on the 

 stone to make the point round. Make it as round and smooth as you can„ 



Mineral Oil Fuel. — The neighborhood of the naphtha springs of 

 Bakou has suggested the idea of using mineral oil as fuel for the Euasian 

 flotilla stationed in the Caspian. Three vessels are already heated by this 

 means; and the result has proved so satisfactory that the boilers of four 

 other vessels arc being altered to adapt them to the new system. 



BOOK REVIEWS. 



Pre-Historic Eaces op the United States of America; by J. W. Foster, 

 LL. D. Fourth edition. Chicago, S. C. Griggs & Co.; London, Triib- 

 ner & Co. pp 416 octavo, $3.00. For sale by Matt. Foster ct Co., Kan- 

 sas City. 



The subject of anthropology has interested scientific men for centuries, 

 but it is scarcely a half century since they began to question the literal 

 correctness of the history and traditions which assign to man an antiquity 

 exceeding the six thousand years of Biblical story. It is probable that 

 the investigations of travelers among the Asiatic races convinced them 

 that this period was entirely too short for the ii33, development and decay 

 of their systems of civilization, and that broke the ice for and impelled 



