SCIENCE 



A WEEKLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE, PUBLISHING THE 



OFFICIAL NOTICES AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION 



FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 



Editoeial Committee : S. Newcomb, Mathematics ; K. S. Woodwaed, Mechanics ; E. C. Pickering 

 Astronomy ; T. C- Mendenhall, Physics ; R. H. Thurston, Engineering ; Ira Remsen, Chemistry ; 

 Charles D. Walcott, Geology ; W. M. Davis, Physiography ; Henry F. Osborn, Paleon- 

 tology ; W. K. Brooks, C. Hart Merriam, Zoology ; S. H. Scudder, Entomology ; C. E. 

 Bessey, N, L. Britton, Botany ; C. S. Minot, Embryology, Histology ; H. P. Bow- 

 DiTCH, Physiology ; J. S. Billings, Hygiene ; William H, Welch, Pathol- 

 ogy ; J. McKeen Cattell, Psychology ; J. W. Powell, Anthropology. 



Friday, December 20, 1901. 



CONTENTS : 



The Naval Observatory Beport 945 



Beport of the Superintendent of the U. S. Naval Ob- 

 servatory 947 



Annual Beport of the Secretary of Agriculture 954 



Membership in the Association 965 



Scientific Books : — 



Eddyman's Practical X-Bay Work : PROFESSOR 

 Arthur W. Goodspeed. Hann's Meteorol- 

 ogie : PROFESSOR R. DeC. Ward. Chester's 

 Manual of Determinative Bacteriology : PROFESS- 

 OR H. W. Conn. Robert's WirbelthierMut in 

 Mikrokristallographischer Hinsicht : PROFESSOR 

 Lafayette B. Mendel 965 



Scientific Journals and Articles 969 



Societies and Academies : — 



Calendar ; Winter Bleeting of Section IT, Anthro- 

 pology, of the American Association for the Ad- 

 vancement of Science. Section of Anthropology 

 and Psychology of the New York Academy of 

 Sciences: Dr. R. S. Wood WORTH. The Torrey 

 Botanical Club : Professor Edward S. Bur- 

 gess. The Science Club of the University of Wis- 

 consin: C. K. Leith 970 



Discussion and Correspondence : — 



The Mathematical Theory of the Top, Simplified : 

 Professor Carl Barus, Professor A. G. 

 Greenhill 973 



Current Notes on Physiography : — 

 New Ordnance Map of England ; Hydrography of 

 the Paris Basin ; Hercegovina : PROFESSOR W. 



M. Davis : 975 



Notes on Entomology : Nathan Banks 977 



The Geological Society of America 979 



The American Society of Naturalists 980 



Scientific Notes and News 980 



University and Educational News 984 



MSS. intended for publication and books, etc., intended 

 for review should be sent to the responsible editor, Pro- 

 fessor J. McKeen Cattell, Garrison-on-Hudson, N. Y. 



THE NAVAL OBSEBVATOBY BEPOBT. 



No excuse is necessary for devoting the 

 space we do to this important paper in our 

 present number. We include with it only 

 such portions of the reports of departments 

 as seem to' be of general interest. Among 

 these is the very business-like report of the 

 National Almanac Office. 



Readers who have followed the discus- 

 sions of the organization of the observatory 

 which have appeared in our columns dur- 

 ing the past year will be interested in this 

 branch of the subject. We trust they will 

 bear with us if we describe the spirit in 

 which we have endeavored to carry on the 

 discussion. We have taken as a funda- 

 mental principle that our remarks should 

 be based on official publications and that no 

 heed should be given either to gossip about 

 the interior affairs of the observatory, which 

 circulates so freely, or to supposed leaks 

 through unofficial channels. 



The case as thus presented has seemed 

 to us too serious to admit of our indulging 

 in carping, fault-finding or minor criti- 

 cisms, even had we been disposed to do so. 

 As presented in the report of the board of 

 visitors for 1900 it took the following form : 

 Our government has for more than half 



