266 Scientific Intelligence. 



is not fatal to the theory, if it is true, as assumed probable, that 

 the impact of the meteoric mass was followed by the volatiliza- 

 tion of a large part of it with the outrush of a great volume of 

 vapor. 



12. The Foyer Collection of Meteorites. — A recent publication 

 of the American Museum of Natural History (Guide Leaflet, No. 

 26) contains an intei'esting account by Dr. E. O. Hovey of the 

 remarkable series of large meteorites on exhibition in the entrance 

 hall of the Museum. This includes the Ahnighito meteorite 

 brought by Captain Peary from Cape York, Greenland, weighing 

 upwards of 36 '5 tons, also the two other Peary irons known 

 among the Eskimos as "the Woman " of 3 tons weight and "the 

 Dog" (1100 lbs.). Another of the specimens is the unique 

 Willamette iron, weighing 15*6 tons, with its extraordinary basin- 

 like depressions produced hy oxidation. The collection also 

 includes a large example of the Canyon Diablo irons (1087 

 lbs.), a composite specimen of the Brenham meteorite half 

 siderite and half siderolite, and several large aerolites, that from 

 Selma weighing 306 lbs. 



III. Miscellaneous Scientific Intelligence. 



1. Introduction to Higher Algebra; by Maxime Bocher: 

 prepared for publication with the cooperation of E. P. R. Duval. 

 Pp. xi, 321. New York, 1907. (The Macmillan Company.) — 

 There is no field of mathematics in which the need of a clear and 

 thorough exposition has been more seriously felt than in the 

 topics of Algebra that Professor Bocher has included in his book. 

 There are already an abundance of excellent works in French, 

 German and English, that treat in detail the classical theory of 

 equations, invariants, finite groups, the theory of separation and 

 approximation of the roots of algebraic equations, and Professor 

 Bocher makes no attempt to add to the list. He has, in fact, 

 very little to saj^ on any of these subjects. His object is rather 

 to give a thorough introduction to the theory of linear equations 

 and quadratic forms with particular reference to the problem of 

 reduction to normal form and classification. 



The book is of especial interest to students of analytical 

 geometry who now have, for the first time, a convenient, clear 

 and adequate treatise from which to derive the necessary alge- 

 braic background for their more advanced work. 



After a short chapter on the fundamental properties of poly- 

 nomials, the subjects of determinants and matrices are taken up, 

 with their application to linear equations and transformations. 

 The treatment of matrices shows the influence of Frobenius 

 rather than that of Caylej^, and is directed, as is the original 

 work of Frobenius, toward the problem of reducing families of 

 bilinear and quadratic forms to a normal form. The subject of 

 invariants is illuminated rather than exhausted, a brief chapter 

 being devoted to the geometrical interpretation of the invariant 

 and covariant properties of equations. No details are attempted 



