212 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. IX., ^;o. 213 



for several months been undergoing spontaneous 

 decomposition. Tetanine is a definite chemical 

 compound which can be purified by the usual 

 chemical methods, and was so purified by the dis- 

 coverer. Brieger also found in tetanus- cultures 

 another ptomaine which has the power to produce 

 cramps and other symptoms closely resembling 

 those of lock-jaw. The finding of the tetanus- 

 bacillus and of tetanine suggests an explanation 

 of certain facts which have been known for some 

 time. In some localities persons with wounds are 

 particularly liable to lock-jaw. In one such lo- 

 cality, at least, large areas of land are covered for 

 a part of the year with the refuse from fish -oil 

 factories. It seems not improbable that in the de- 

 composition of the fish the ptomaine described by 

 Brieger may be formed, and that as the matter 

 dries it may find its way into the air to some ex- 

 tent ; or it may be present in the earth, and con- 

 tact with the earth ma}- cause its introduction into 

 a wound. 



— One of the most valuable contributions to 

 science now in course of preparation is a series of 

 charts showing the surface temperatures of the 

 Atlantic coast waters from the eastern coast of 

 Maine to the extreme southerly coast of Florida. 

 This important work is being prosecuted by the 

 U. S. fish commission, with the aid of the light- 

 house board and the signal service, and is based 

 upon observations made thus far at twenty- 

 four lighthouse stations, showing the surface 

 temperatures at these localities during the past 

 five years. The temperatures at each station are 

 shown in detail for each year by ten-day means, 

 and these results are combined with a series of 

 isothermal charts showing the relations of the 

 different stations. These observations have a 

 most important bearing on the study of the mi- 

 gration of the mackerel, menhaden, shad, and 

 other migratory fishes, and will be of great value. 

 Other temperature observations of the inland 

 waters of the United States are now in course of 

 reduction, and will shortly be issued. 



— The prevalent belief that an Indian bears 

 pain with perfect composure is likely to be over- 

 thrown by the observations of Dr. Corbusier among 

 the Apache Indians. He finds that they do not 

 endure physical pain any better than, if as well 

 as, the whites. Great pain renders them stupid, 

 and the stolidity with which they are supposed to 

 bear pain is not well maintained by them under 

 small surgical operations, even the extraction of a 

 tooth almost always eliciting a grown or a yell. 

 The paint which is usually on their faces conceals 

 their expression. When this is removed, the 

 changes induced by the emotions may be readily 



detected : anger is almost always betrayed by the 

 expression of the eyes, fear by the dirty grayish 

 color the skin assumes, surprise by suddenly draw- 

 ing in a breath as if gasping, and sometimes by 

 covering the mouth with one hand. 



— The Linnaean society of New York have 

 passed resolutions asking congress to make ade- 

 quate laws for the preservation of the native ani- 

 mals, forests, and the many objects of wonder and 

 scientific interest contained in the Yellowstone 

 national park. The resolutions were presented in 

 both houses of congress on Monday last. 



— The desire has been frequently expressed for 

 an American journal devoted to the interests of 

 agricultural science, and several unsuccessful ef- 

 forts have been made to establish one, but the 

 modest journal under the title of Agricultural 

 science (Charles S. Plumb, Geneva, N.Y.), whose 

 first two numbers lie before us, is, we believe, the 

 first of them which has proved viable. The pur- 

 poses of the new journal, as stated by the editor, 

 may be summarized as, first, the publication of 

 original work in agricultural science ; second, the 

 publication of abstracts of articles in foreign jour- 

 nals ; third, to furnish a means of communication 

 for students and investigators in this line. In the 

 numbers before us the two latter aims of the 

 journal are more amply fulfilled than the first. 

 The abstracts are well selected and prepared, and 

 not a little news of interest is presented^ The 

 original articles are five in number, and take up 

 twenty-one out of forty-eight pages, but only 

 three of them contain the record of any original 

 work, and the main points of one of these have 

 been previously published, so that we have in the 

 two numbers eight pages of fresh, original in- 

 vestigation. This fact seems to us to show plainly 

 one of the chief difficulties likely to beset the edi- 

 tor, viz., a paucity of original investigations. The 

 amount of original scientific work performed at 

 the various agricultural colleges and experiment 

 stations is not large, and considerable of what is 

 done seems likely to find its final and only means 

 of publication in annual reports and the like. At 

 the same time, we wish the new journal all pos- 

 sible success. The attempt is certainly a most 

 laudable one, and the execution thus far praise- 

 worthy. Whether the two obstacles of paucity of 

 material and a necessarily somewhat limited num- 

 ber of readers can be overcome, time must show. 



— The publication agency of the Johns Hopkins 

 university has now ready for issue vol. i. of a 

 series of selected morphological monographs by 

 members of the university, under the editorial 

 direction of W. K. Brooks, Ph.D. The volume 

 contains three hundred and seventy pages and 



