446 



sciujsrcu. 



[Vol. VI., No. 146. 



the past three years. There are some 50 folding 

 boxes, and some half dozen drawers of pinned and 

 mounted specimens. These consist chiefly of ex- 

 otic species, and mostly of the showier Lepidoptera 

 sent to the museum because of their briUiancy, and 

 without name. There are also about 100 bottles 

 of various sizes, containing alcohohc material, 

 much of it exotic, and considerable material 

 of value as illustrating insect architecture. A 

 rough estimate shows about 20,000 specimens, and 

 2,000 species not in the other collections. 



Exhibit collection of economic entomology. — This 

 collection, prepared for the New Orleans exposition, 

 and a catalogue of which has been published, wUl 

 be deposited in the museum. It is made up of the 

 following sections : 1°. Insects injurious to agri- 

 culture (arranged according to the particular plant, 

 and the particular part of the plant, affected). 

 2°. Insecticides. 3°. Insecticide machinery, and 

 contrivances for destroying insects. 4°. Bee- 

 culture. 5°. Silk-culture. 



From the above statement it is evident that 

 there are already sometliing like two hundred 

 thousand mounted specimens in the national 

 collection, comprising some twenty-six thousand 

 distinct species. This, together with the vast 

 amount of alcoholic material aheady indicated, 

 will serve to show its fulness. 



REPORT OF THE POINT BARROW STA- 

 TION. 

 This volume, which contains the report of Lieut. 

 Ray's party at Point Barrow, 1881-83, is notable in 

 several respects, and creditable to aU concerned. 

 It has been prepared by Lieut. P. H. Eay, U.S.A., 

 and Prof. John Murdoch of his party, with the 

 assistance of several experts. It is not necessary 

 to rehearse the object and relations of the expe- 

 dition, which have been repeatedly referred to in 

 the pages of Science. The report begins with a 

 statement of the orders and instructions under 

 which the work was done. This is followed by a 

 narrative by Lieutenant Ray of the transactions at 

 Point Barrow, or rather the station Uglaami near 

 the Point, of his explorations of the Meade River, 

 and of the voyage to and from the station. This 

 narrative is unpretentious and interesting, and ter- 

 minates with a hearty recognition, by the com- 

 mander, of the qualities shown by the members of 

 his party during the monotony and privation of 

 their long exile. Lieutenant Ray also fm-nishes 

 an ethnographic sketch of the natives of Point 

 Barrow, which will be found entertaining reading, 

 and is illustrated by some excellent hehotypes, — the 



Report of the international polar expedition to Point 

 Barrow, Alaska. Washington, Government, 1885. 695 p., 

 illustr. 4». 



best, indeed, we have seen from photographs made 

 in this part of the arctic regions. They give very 

 satisfactory views of the station, the grounded ice, 

 the natives of Uglaami, and of the village of 

 Iliuliuk, Unalashka, at which the expedition 

 touched. There is also a census and vocabulary 

 of the Innuit of Uglaami, and a list of the ethno- 

 logical specimens obtained by the party, to the 

 illustration of which several plates are devoted. 

 Part iv. contains the natural history prepared by 

 Professor Murdoch, assisted by Professors Asa 

 Gray and C. V. Riley, Messrs. Fewkes, Dall, and 

 others. The Innuit name of each animal is ap- 

 pended when known. The mammals, birds, and 

 fishes are treated by Murdoch, and illustrated by 

 two very successful colored plates of the beautiful 

 rosy gull, Rhodostethia rosea. Professor Riley 

 contributes some notes on the scanty representa- 

 tives of msects ; Professor Gray, others on the 

 plants ; Fewkes and DaU report on the acalephs 

 and mollusks respectively ; while Murdoch dis- 

 cusses the other marine invertebrates, especially 

 the Crustacea, of which some new species are 

 described and illustrated. With the mollusks is 

 given a heliotype plate of some critical species of 

 Buccinum, with magnified drawings of the minute 

 surface sculpture. The collection afforded several 

 new forms of shells. There are notes on the col- 

 lecting stations, and a useful bibliography of works 

 consulted. 



The fauna, as might be expected, is purely arctic, 

 and has little in common with that of the North 

 Pacific. 



The meteorology, including auroral observations, 

 follows, and naturally occupies many pages. Mr. 

 C. A. Schott, of the U. S. coast survey, reports on 

 the magnetics, a field where he is facile princeps. 

 The tidal observations are given in full, with an 

 illustration of the apparatus used. The rise and 

 fall of tide is only six or seven inches, but during 

 the time observations were carried on the level 

 of the sea varied some three feet, a change due 

 probably to differences of atmospheric pressure. 

 The rejDort closes with some observations on 

 groimd currents and on the thickness of the ice. 

 The maximum of thickness was five feet two 

 inches on the sea, reached in March, and six feet 

 two and a half inches on the quieter surface of 

 an adjacent lagoon, reached in May. There is a 

 fair index. The preceding summary will indicate 

 how rich a store of information the report af- 

 fords for students of arctic matters, though some 

 very valuable material is still in course of elabora- 

 tion for future publication. Space fails us to dis- 

 cuss the questions arising from the investigation 

 of the flora and fauna. It is evident, however, 

 that so successful a sojourn and safe return, so 



