338 



SCIENCE 



[Vol. V., No. 116. 



at the same time it is the proper function of 

 the geodetic survey. We are informed by 

 Major Powell that he makes use of all the 

 coast-survey results so far as they are avail- 

 able, but he does not indicate what fraction 

 of his labor is thus saved ; and it goes without 

 sa} 7 ing, that he has no authority, directly or 

 indirectly, to require that the coast and geo- 

 detic survey shall do any thing which he may 

 want done. 



Among the suggestions made by Major 

 Powell was one that all the scientific bureaus 

 should be placed under the general direction 

 of the regents of the Smithsonian institution. 

 This does not appear to have been considered 

 practicable, and was not further urged by the 

 director himself. One of the possible plans is 

 to place all these bureaus under the interior 

 department. The principal objection to this 

 course is that that department is alreadj' over- 

 loaded with work, so that its head could not 

 give the proper consideration to the subject. 

 Yet this is the simplest course, and would 

 certainty be an improvement on the present 

 state of things. The more effective course 

 would be to form a separate department of 

 science and public works. To this there seems 

 to be no positive and serious obstacle, except 

 the difficulty of getting an} T measure of the sort 

 enacted into a law. The question whether the 

 head of the department should be a scientific 

 expert or a public administrator, is an ulterior 

 one, which need not be discussed at present. 

 In the latter case, the question of its being re- 

 garded as a cabinet office would arise. There 

 will be _ittle hesitation in deciding this ques- 

 tion in the negative. 



In a future number we hope to discuss other 

 testimony taken before the commission, and 

 the proposition which appeared in the supple- 

 ment to our last number. 



THE BOTTLE-NOSE DOLPHIN, TURSI- 

 OPS TURSIO, AS SEEN AT CAPE MAY, 

 NEW JERSEY. 



This is the commonest dolphin on our Atlan- 

 tic coast, occurring from Greenland to at least 



as far south as Florida ; and Professor Flower 

 is inclined to believe that it is cosmopolitan. 

 The dolphins are very abundant along the 

 shore of New Jersey, passing and re-passing 

 close to the beach in schools of greater or less 

 magnitude. The fishermen state that they 

 usually pass around Cape May City into Dela- 

 ware Ba}^ upon the rising tide. Their move- 

 ments would appear to be somewhat uncertain, 

 however ; for we lay all the morning at Here- 

 ford Inlet, expecting to see them approach 

 from Seven-mile beach, and failed, but found 

 them in the afternoon at Cape May point, from 

 which we had started. It seems probable that 

 they come into Delaware Bay from the south- 

 west. 



The school surrounded at Cape May point 

 apparently comprised about thirt} T individuals. 

 They showed no fear at the approach of the 

 steamer. Upon striking against the large net 

 in which they were impounded, they showed 

 no disposition to leap over it, but attempted 

 to make their escape by divings Observations 

 on this point, however, were brought to a 

 speedy close from the fact that three speci- 

 mens, becoming entangled in the net, rolled it 

 up from the bottom, and thus allowed the 

 remainder of the school to make their escape. 



All the three specimens secured were females : 

 two were adult, about two hundred and sixty 

 centimetres in length, and the third a young 

 animal about a hundred and twenty centime- 

 tres in length. On compressing the sides of 

 one of the larger specimens, milk issued in a 

 fine stream from the mammae. When collected 

 in a bottle, it appeared of the color and con- 

 sistency of cream, was without perceptible 

 odor, and possessed the flavor of cocoanut- 

 milk. 



I placed some in a bottle to bring to Wash- 

 ington for analysis, but it soured in trans- 

 portation on account of the warmth of the 

 weather, and forced out the cork. The fisher- 

 men stated that the specimen which furnished 

 the milk was followed about by the 3'ounger 

 animal. Although I was not near enough to 

 verify this observation, it seems to me very 

 plausible. The teeth of the calf were barely 

 visible above the gums, and it showed other 

 signs of youth. I am inclined to believe that 

 it was born in the spring of 1884, and that the 

 time of weaning was not far distant when it 

 met its death. 



Upon opening the abdomen of the second 

 adult specimen, we found a foetus about twelve 

 centimetres in length. The stomach of both 

 adults contained simply a few bones and one 

 or two skulls of a fish which appeared to be 



