18S Scientific Intelligence. 



SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE. 



Miscellaneous Scientific Intelligence. 



1. La Mtthode Universelle de Fedoroff; by W. VV. Nikitin ; 

 translated from the Russian by Louis Duparo and Vera de 

 Dervies. 2 vols. 516 pp., 113 text figs, and atlas of 8 pis. 

 Paris and Liege, 1914 (Librairie Polytechnique, Ch. Beranger, 

 fiditeur). — This book, as its subtitle indicates, is a systematic 

 description of the procedure of operations necessary to make a 

 determination of the optical constants of minerals. It embodies 

 the original and well-known methods devised by Federov for 

 use with his universal stage for the microscope. These have 

 been described from time to time in the various journals, but this 

 is the first. time that a complete discussion of them has appeared 

 in any language except Russian. 



The book includes an Introduction which discusses the general 

 laws of the optics of minerals and then in the succeeding chapters 

 treats of the following subjects : the fundamental problems of 

 mineral optics together with the various graphic methods in use 

 to record their results; the special apparatus used; determina- 

 tion of the character of the optical ellipsoid; determination 

 of the position of the axes of the biaxial ellipsoid; determi- 

 nation of the indices of refraction in thin sections; description of 

 the order of procedure to determine the elements of the ellipsoid 

 of elasticity of biaxial and uniaxial minerals; determination of 

 the birefringence of biaxial and uniaxial minerals and the order 

 of procedure used; determination of the birefringence, optical 

 angle and angle of extinction in the cases where direct observa- 

 tion is not possible. 



The book is well and amply illustrated and should form a valu- 

 able addition to the mineralogists' working library. w. e. f. 



2. Les Hypotheses Cosmogoniques Modernes • par Alex. 

 Veronnet. Pp. 171. Paris, 1914 (Librairie Scientifique A. 

 Hermann et Fils). — In this volume the author gives a review of 

 the hypotheses of Kant and LaPlace with some of the later modi- 

 fications, followed by his own speculations, which show a fine 

 disregard of evidence. He assigns 2,000,000 years since the 

 temperature at the earth's poles passed below the boiling point. 

 In one or two million years more he predicts that the tempera- 

 ture of even the equator will sink to zero. j. b. 



3. La Forme de la Terre et sa Constitution Interne ; par 

 Alex. Veronnet. Pp. 32. Paris, 1914 (Librairie Scientifique 

 A. Hermann et Fils). — This pamphlet reviews the advance of 

 knowledge regarding the form of the earth from the time of the 

 ancients. There is little or nothing which is new in it. J. b. 



4. Monograph of the Shallow-water Starfishes of the North 

 Pacific Coast, from the Arctic Ocean to California; by A. E. 

 Verrill. — In the notice of this work, as printed on p. 107 of the 

 July number, the following corrections should have been made : 

 Line 14, for Asterridce, read Asteriidce ; line 24, for that region, 

 read those regions. 



