992 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XI. No. 286. 



Linne, is not the true cochineal, and that the lat- 

 ter insect belongs to the genus Pseudococcus, 

 Westwood. I have lately had some correspond- 

 ence with Professor and Mrs. Fernald of the 

 Massachusetts Agricultural College, on the 

 synonymy of this insect, and it seems that the 

 only way to avoid confusion is to propose a new 

 name for the Coccus cacti of Signoret, Essai sur 

 les Cochenilles, p. 381; Newstead, £■)!<. Mo. Mag., 

 April, 1897, p. 76. It is therefore proposed to 

 name the latter species Pseudococcus signoreti. 



T. D. A. COCKEEELL. 



Mesilla Pakk, N. M., May 28, 1900. 

 A TRUCK FOE MINERALS. 



To THE Editor of Science : For the benefit 

 of those teachers who have to move heavy 

 specimens for purposes of illustration from 



and set upon the opened truck. If more than 

 one tray full be needed, others may be added 

 by using wooden bridges, made by nailing to 

 each end of a thin strip a little longer than the 

 width of the tray, a square block notched below 

 to fit the side of the tray. This contrivance 

 makes a temporary frame on which the second 

 tray rests securely, high enough above the first 

 to be out of the way of the specimens. With 

 another pair of bridges another tray can be 

 added, and so on till the load is complete. One 

 load of these on the truck trays is shown in 

 the figure. The steel trucks are very strong 

 and are guaranteed to sustain a weight of 

 500 pounds. They are provided with rubber- 

 tired, ball-bearing wheels — those at one end 

 beiug swiveled, and with full load they are 

 very easily pushed or pulled and guided around 



museum to lecture room, I send you an account 

 of a plan which for two years I have used here 

 with great comfort to myself. For a truck I 

 have a folding steel church truck, such as is 

 used by funeral directors. This, when not in 

 use, can be folded up and put aside, occupying 

 very little space. For convenience I have at- 

 tached a handle to one end, made by bending a 

 piece of half inch iron rod twice at right angles, 

 and bolting the two ends to the frame, with a 

 locking device which holds it rigid when pushed 

 against. The minerals or other specimens 

 are placed in shallow wooden trays 18 x 86 

 inches, with the usual hand holes at the ends, 



the ends of cases. With an arrangement for 

 holding books, trucks of this kind would cer- 

 tainly be a great convenience to librarians also. 

 Eugene A. Smith. 

 University, Ala., May 26, 1900. 



THE ECLIPSE OF MAY 28tH. 



The party from Vassar College selected 

 Wadesboro, N. C. , as the station of observation 

 for the solar eclipse of May 28th, because of its 

 favorable weather prognostication, and because 

 other parties having a large and varied equip- 

 ment were stationed there. The instruments 

 used by us were a three-inch Clark telescope. 



