388 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. VI., No. 143. 



pressure of their own bulk. When leaves, stumps 

 of trees, etc., are found in a delta several feet below 

 the sea level, subsidence by a downward movement 

 of the earth's crust is usually invoked as a cause. It 

 is forgotten that the weight of the upper strata of 

 the delta has consolidated the lower, and gradually 

 pressed them down. We know that a dirt bed in the 

 older strata is but a line, while existing dirt beds are 

 many inches or even feet in thickness. Sand be- 

 comes sandstone by pressure, but a hundred feet of 

 sand will by no means form a hundred feet of sand- 

 stone. The alternations between fresh water and 

 marine strata, the changes from land to shallow lake 

 or sea, which marked the age of the coal-measures 

 and caused the production of coal, need not have 

 been, and probably were not, caused by the alternate 

 rising and sinking of the actual crust of the earth. 

 It is far more likely that they were produced by the 

 settlement or consolidation of the strata themselves. 

 Regularity of settlement would depend on regularity 

 of deposition, which was impossible from the nature 

 of the case. The deposition of vegetable material 



and the formation of coal were dwelt upon. Prof. 



Heilprin remarked that geologists regarded the alter- 

 nation of coal and dirt beds as indicating recurrent 

 periods of stability, rather than alternating depres- 

 sion and elevation. The stability of the ocean bed 



and the formation of deltas were considered. Mr. 



Jos. Willcox described the effects of glacial action as 

 observed by him north of the St. Lawrence. The 

 farther north we proceed, the less soil would be found 

 on the rocks, depending on the lessened amount of 

 moraine deposited by the glacier as it retreated to- 

 ward the pole. The scorings on the rocks in the 

 region visited by him were from the northeast to the 

 southwest. He believed that the oldest or Lauren- 

 tian rocks were at onetime covered with sedimentary 

 deposits which had been worn away by glacial action. 

 In some places patches of such deposits containing 



fossils were yet to be found. Prof. Heilprin believed 



that the truth was yet to be ascertained regarding 

 the direction of glacial movement in Labrador. He 

 was inclined to believe that glacial action started be- 

 low the great circumpolar ice-sheet, and proceeded 

 both south and north from the point of departure. 

 He referred to his communications made some years 

 ago, in which he objected to the belief that glacial 

 action, as we know it, was owing to movements of a 

 large body of ice from the north pole. The results 

 of the most recent arctic investigations on the con- 

 densation of moisture and the existence of a cloud 

 limit were given. 



Publications received at Editor's Office, Oct. 19-24. 



Addresses at the complimentary dinner to Dr. Benjamin 

 Apthorp Gould, Hotel Vendome, Boston, May 6, 1885. Lynn, 

 Nichols pr,^ 1885. 40 p. 12°. 



Allen, A. H. Commercial organic analysis. 2d ed. Vol. i. 

 Raleigh, NC, 77/£' rtz^/Zi^r, 1885. 12+476 p., illustr. 8°. (New 

 York, Scribner & Welford.) 



American association for the advancement of science. Report 

 of the committee on indexing chemical literature. 5 p. 8°. 



Ball, R. S. The story of the heavens. New York, Cassell^ 

 1885. 20+551 p^illustr., 16 pi. 8°. 



Bettany, G. T. Eminent doctors: their lives and their work. 

 2 vols. London, Hogg^ 1885. 10+311, 6+318 p. 12°. (New York, 

 Scribner & Welford.) 



Boulger, D. C. Central Asian questions. Essays on Afghan- 

 istan, China and Central Asia. London, Un^vin^ 1885. iM-457 

 p., portr., maps. 8°. (New York, Scribner & Welford.) 



Buchwald, G. v. Deutsches gesellschaftleben im endenden 

 mittelalter. Band i.: Zur deutschen bildungsgeschichte. Kiel, 

 Hontann^ 1885. 12+228 p. 12°. (New York, Westermann.) 



Classen, A. Handbuch der analytischen chemie. 3d ed. 

 Theil ii.: Quantitative analyse. Stuttgart, Enke^ 1885. 10+411 

 p , illustr. 8°. (New York, Stechert, I3.) 



Cohn, G. System der nationalokonomie. Band i.: Grund- 

 legung. Stuttgart, Enke^ 1885. 10+649 P- 8°. (New York, 

 Stechert, $4.40.) 



Dancy, F. B., and Battle, H, B, Chemical conversion tables 

 for use in the analysis of commercial fertilizers. Raleigh, The 

 authors^ 1885. 42 p. 8°. 



Dargun, L. Egoismus und altruismus in der nationalokono- 

 mie. Leipzig, Duncker ^f Humblot, 1885. 107 p. 8°. (New 

 York, Stechert, 90 cents.) 



Dawson, J. W. Egypt and Syria, their physical features in 

 relation to Bible history. London, Relig. tr. soc, 1885. (By-paths 

 of Bible knov;l., vi.) 12+192 p., illustr. 12°. (New York, Scribner 

 & Welford.) 



Disinfectants and their use. New York, ^//zj<7«, 1885. 168 

 p. 12°. 



Etherldge, R. Phillijis's manual of geology, theoretical and 

 practical. Part ii.: Stratigraphical geology and palaeontology. 

 London. Griffin^ 1885. 24+712 p., [26J pi., map. 8°. (New 

 York, Scribner & Welford.) 



Ew^ald, A. C. Studies re-studied; historical sketches from 

 original sources. London, Chatto (Sr" Windus^ 1885. 374 p. 8°. 

 (New York, Scribner & Welford.) 



Finch-Hatton, H. Advance Australia ! London, ^//^«, 1885. 

 6+392 p., illustr., map. 8°. (New York, Scribner & Welford.) 



Greswell, W. Our south African empire. 2 vols. London, 

 Chap77ian (sf Hall^ 1885. 24+317, 323 p., map. 8°. (New York, 

 Scribner & Welford.) 



Habenicht, H., Domann, B. und Lueddecke, R. Spezial- 

 karte von Afrika. loblatt. Lieferung i. (joiW^L^ Perthes^ 1885. 

 1:4,000,000. (New York, Christern, $1.10.) 



Hager, H. Chemische reactionen zum nachweise des terpen- 

 tinols in den atherischen olen, in balsamen, etc. Berlin, Springer., 

 1885. 166 p. 8°. (New York, Stechert. $1.50.) 



Hartman, W. D. Descriptions of new species of Partula and 

 a synonymic catalogue of the genus. [Philadelphia, Proc. Acad. 

 «a/. j-r., 1885.] L21] p., illustr. 8°. 



Hartmann, E. v. Moderne probleme. Leipzig, Friedrichy 

 1886 (1885). 14+250 p. 8°. (New York, Christern, fi.go.) 



Haushofer, K. Mikroskopische reactionen. Braunschweig, 

 Vieiueg, 1885. 8+162 p., illustr. 8°. _ (New York, Stechert.) 



Helmholtz, H. L. F. The sensations of tone as a physiologi- 

 cal basis for the theory of music. 2d Engl. ed. Transl. bj^ A. J. 

 Ellis, 'London^ Lo7tg7nans^ Green &f Co.., i88s. 20+576 p., illustr. 

 4°. (New York, Scribner & Welford.) 



Henfrey, H. W. A guide to the study of English coins, from 

 the conquest to the present time. Revised edition by C. F. 

 Keary, London, Bell hr' Sons, 1885. 24+325 p., illustr. 12°. (New 

 York, Scribner & Welford.) 



Henshaw, S. List of the Coleoptera of America north of 

 Mexico. Philadelphia, Amer. entom. soc, 1885. 4-I-161 p. 8°. 



Holland, T. E., ed. The European concert in the eastern 

 question. Oxford, Clarendon pr.., iSS^- 12+367 p. 8°. 



Hoist, H. v. Das staatsrecht der Vereinigten Staaten von 

 America. Freiburg, Mohr, 1885. (Marquardsen's handb. 

 offentlichen rechts, b. iv., abtheil. iii.) 10+189 P- 8°. (New 

 York, Stechert. $2.20.) 



Holtzendorff, F. v., ed. Handbuch des volkerrechts. Band i.: 

 Einleitung in das volkerrecht. Berlin, Habel, 1885. 12+524 p. 

 8°. (New York, Stechert.) 



Huebschmann, H. Das Indogermanische vocalsystem. 

 Strassburg, Triibner, 1885. 192 p. 8°. (New York, Stechert.) 



Jackson, L. D'A. Aid to engineering solution, London, 

 Longmans, Green df Co. 1885. 145+582 p., illustr. 8°. (New 

 York. Scribner & Welford.) 



Ketteler, E. Theoretische optik gegriindet auf das Bessel- 

 Sellmeier'sche princip. Braunschweig, Vieweg, 1885. 14+652 p., 

 illustr., 4 pi. 8°. (New York, Stechert.) 



Killing, W. Die nicht-Euklidischen raumformen in analy- 

 tischer behandlung. Leipzig, T'^wiJw^r, 1885. 12+264 p., pi. 8°. 

 (New York, Stechert.) 



Laing, S. Modern science and modern thought. London, 

 Chapjnan &= Hall,\%ZS- 12+320 p., illustr. 8°. (New York, 

 Scribner & Welford.) 



Landois, L. Lehrbuch der physiologic des menschen ein- 

 schliesslich der histologic und mikroskopischen anatomic. 5th ed., 

 abtheil. i. Wien, Urban &f Sckwarzenberg, 1886(1885). 240 p., 

 illustr. 8°. (New York, Stechert, $1.90) 



Lansdell, H. Russian Central Asia, including Kuldja, Bok- 

 hara, Khiva, and Mcrv. 2 vols. London, Low, Marston, 

 Searle df Rivington, 1885. 32+684, 16+732 p., illustr., portr., 

 maps. 8°. (New York, Scribner & Welford.) 



Leyden, E. und Pfeiffer, E. Verhandlungen des congresses 

 fiir innere medicin. Vierter congress, gehalten zu Wiesbaden, 

 April, 1885. Wiesbaden, Bergmann, 1885. 22+470 p., illustr., 

 8°, 



McGee, W. J. Map of the United States, exhibiting the 

 present status of knowledge relating to the areal distribution of 

 geologic groups. (Preliminary compilation.) Washington, Gov- 

 ernment, z.ZZ'S' 1:7,115,000. 



