Miscellaneous Intelligence. 161 



2. The Development of the Frog's Egg, an Introduction to 

 Experimental Embryology ; by Thomas Hunt Morgan, pp. 

 192. New York, 1897 (The Macmillan Company). — Although the 

 frog's egg has long been a favorite subject of investigation in 

 both normal and experimental embryology, this book by Prof. 

 Morgan is the first to give a summary of the experimental work 

 of many investigators. Marshall, in his Vertebrate Embryology, 

 has given a good and fairly well illustrated account of the normal 

 development, particularly of the later stages, but in the work 

 here noticed we have, especially for the earlier stages, a full 

 account of the normal development followed by the results of 

 numerous experiments by various investigators, including those 

 of the author himself. Prof. Morgan's book gives us a much 

 needed text-book for both student and instructor, and it should 

 stimulate and greatly aid investigation by pointing out the wide 

 field the frog's egg still offers for embryological research. 



s. i. s. 



Obituary. 



Alfred Marshall Mayer, Professor of Physics in the Stevens 

 Institute of Technology, Hoboken, N. J., died on the 13th of 

 July, in the sixty-first year of his age. He had been in failing 

 health for some months, but had continued to discharge the duties 

 of his professorship until February, and later increasing weakness 

 and exhaustion caused his retirement to his country residence, 

 Maplewood, South Orange, N. J., where his life came to a close 

 in consequence of an attack of an apoplectic nature, from which 

 he did not rally. , 



Professor Mayer was born in Baltimore, Md., Nov. 13, 1836, 

 and received his education at St. Mary's College, Baltimore. 

 After leaving this institution, in 1852, he spent two years in the 

 office and workshop of a mechanical engineer, where he acquired 

 a knowledge of mechanical processes and the use of tools, for 

 which he had a natural aptitude. His experience here was of 

 great service to him in his subsequent career. This was followed 

 by a course of two years in a chemical laboratory, where he ob- 

 tained a thorough knowledge of analytical chemistry. In 1856 

 he was made Professor of Physics and Chemistry in the Univer- 

 sity of Maryland, and three years later he entered upon a similar 

 position in Westminster College, Mo., where he remained two 

 years. In 1863 he went abroad, and entered the University of 

 Paris, where he spent two years in the study of physics, mathe- 

 matics and physiology. While in Paris he was a pupil of the 

 distinguished physicist Regnault. After his return to this coun- 

 try he occupied a chair in Pennsylvania College, Gettysburg, and 

 later in Lehigh University, Bethlehem, where he was in charge 

 of the department of astronomy, and superintended the erection 

 of an observatory. In 1869, an expedition was sent by the U. S. 

 Nautical Almanac office to Burlington, Iowa, to observe the 



