252 The American Naturalist. [March, 
Dr. Arthur Allin, honorary fellow in psychology at Clark University, 
has been appointed professor of psychology and pedagogy in the Ohio 
University at Athens. 
Dr. C. A. Scott has been appointed to the chair of experimental 
psychology and child-study at the Chicago Normal School. 
Dr. E. L. Hinman, of Cornell, has been appointed instructor in 
philosophy and psychology in the University of Nebraska. 
Dr. Alice J. Hamlin, of Cornell, has been selected to teach psycho- 
logy in Mount Holyoke Seminary.—H. C. Warren. 
Studies in the Telegraphic Language.—In the Psychological 
Review for January, Mr. Harter, of Indiana University, reports an 
elaborate study of the telegraphic language. The whole study occupied 
about three years, and consisted of three parts; a cross-examination of 
many operators, novices as well as experts; an experimental study of 
individual differences, by the use of the Marey drum; and a study of 
the curve of improvement in sending and receiving. The following are 
some of the most interesting results. 
I. The character of telegraphy as a language.—Telegraphy is a true 
language, in which operators are able to think. At a rapid rate of 
receiving, separate words cannot be distinguished, but words and groups 
of words are distinguished as wholes. Just as in reading, a gramma- 
tical error in a message is at once detected by the receiver, even when 
he gives no attention to the sense. An expert operator is able to follow 
his own machine with its individual differences even in the midst of 
louder machines, and when transferred to a new machine or to new sur- 
roundings may be unable to receive. Operators are keenly alive to the 
presence of those with whom they communicate ; so much so that novices 
are often paralyzed by stage fright. External disturbances confuse 
novices, but have no effect on experts. Subjective disturbances, while 
they confuse or paralyze novices, render experts more fluent. Experts, 
too, are able to express their emotions over the wire. Thus there 1s an 
anger-flutter, during which the sender exhibits every physical sign of 
passion. During the laughter signal, (an oft-repeated “ ha,”) on the 
contrary, the sender exhibits no sign of humor, though his subjective 
risibilities may be considerably excited. 
II. Individual differences in sending.—Sixteen subjects were tested on 
eight repetitions of the sentence: “Ship 364 wagons via Erie quick.” 
The study of the records on the Marey drum involved about twenty 
thousand measurements. From these were ascertained the relative 
length for each person, first, of all the telegraphic elements ; second, of 
