468 
— Among recent deaths, we notice those of Dr. J. 
W. Gintl, professor emeritus of physics and mathe- 
matics, at Graz, Dec. 22, 1883, in his eightieth year; 
Ch. H. Merrifield, Jan.1, at Hove; Professor Hermann 
Schlegel, director of the museum of Leyden; Prof. 
H. C. Berghaus, the well-known geographer, in his 
eighty-seventh year, at Stettin, Feb. 17; Quintino 
Sella, president of the Accademia dei lincei, at Biela, 
March 14; and Dr. E, Behm, the geographer. 
—M. Adams, says the Athenaeum, has successfully 
established an optical telegraph between the islands 
of Mauritius and Reunion, a distance of two hundred 
and forty-five kilometres. Observers in Mauritius 
can read the signals without difficulty, and the ar- 
rangements for announcing cyclones are in process 
of completion. 
— Russia has two polar stations on Weyprecht’s 
plan, — one at Sagastyr (the mouth of the Lena), and 
the other at Little Karmakuly, Moller Bay (the west 
coast of Novaia Zemlia). According to the latest 
news, which is, as may be understood, slow to reach 
St. Petersburg, the Lena station was in good condi- 
tion, and is to be continued until July, 1884. Thus 
the stations which are most interesting and most 
difficult to reach (the Lena and Lady Franklin Bay) 
will have the longest course of observations. The 
Novaia Zemlia station has finished its observations; 
and the members, consisting of Lieut. Andrejew, Mid- 
shipman Wolodkowsky, Drs. Grinewetzky, Kriwos- 
keya, and seamen, have returned. 
Lieut. Andrejew, in a lecture before the Geo- 
graphical society, gave the following facts in regard 
to the station. The latitude of the station was de- 
termined by observation of the sun and stars; the 
longitude, by double chronometer comparison between 
Karmakuly and Archangel. The observations com- 
prised hourly reading of the magnetic and meteor- 
ological instruments, with more frequent reading of 
the former on stated days and during magnetic dis- 
turbances. The results have not yet been calculated. 
Scurvy was prevented by exercise and the use of 
good fresh food, and the health of all was good. The 
death of one seaman happened under somewhat 
strange circumstances: he disappeared, and after long 
search was found undressed, in the snow, with his 
legs frozen. They were amputated, but he died soon 
after. 
— We have already referred to the observations 
of Lessar in regard to the character of the valley or 
depression which had been regarded as an ancient 
channel of the Oxus, south of Khiva. From Bala 
Ichemi he turned to the eastward, to Kavakli, on the 
Amu Daria, and, according to letters just received, 
found no trace of any ancient river-bed. Gen. Steb- 
nitzki and other explorers of this region do not accept 
as yet the opinion of Lessar in this particular. 
— A very interesting addition to the mollusca of 
the United States is made by Stearns, who describes, 
in the Proceedings of the Philadelphia academy, 
Pyrgula nevadensis, from specimens obtained «by 
Xenos Clarke and R. E. Call, at Pyramid and Walker’s 
lakes, Nevada. The species is found living in the 
SCIENCE. 
[Vox. IIL, No. 62. 
depths of the lakes, and fossil on the shores; but the 
specimens collected all appear to have been destitute 
of the soft parts, for which reason the generic rela- 
tions cannot be said to be definitely settled, though 
probably correctly surmised. A fossil shell had pre- 
viously been described from the post-pliocene of Illi- 
nois, by Wolf; but its affinities may be said to be very 
imperfectly determined. The identity of Tryonia 
clathrata Stm. with Amnicola protea of Gould, which 
Mr. Stearns seems to consider as undoubted, is de- 
serving of further investigation at least; as in many 
thousands of the latter we have never seen a speci- 
men of Tryonia, or any approximation to one, 
judged by the standard of Stimpson’s original speci- 
mens and figures. 
— Professor Boyd Dawkins reports the discovery of 
a skull of the musk-ox (Ovibos moschatus) in the for- 
est-bed of Trimingham, near Cromer, —a formation 
which is believed to be certainly preglacial. The 
discovery is considered to add to the evidence that 
the glacial epoch does not represent a condition of 
environment separating two distinct faunas. 
— The agricultural and mechanical college of Texas 
has issued a bulletin in which it calls attention to 
the need of a more careful study of the agricultural 
necessities of the state, and offers the advantages of 
the college for analyses of soils and fertilizers, and 
experiments on methods of feeding, on the grasses 
suitable to Texas, etc. A special request is made for 
samples of wool. 
—It is stated that Senhor Antonio Lopez Mendes 
is about to undertake an important study of the Am- 
azon basin, including the main river and its affluents 
to their westernmost extension. 
— Vols. v. and vi. of the census reports, com- 
prising the report upon cotton-production by Prof. 
E. W. Hilgard, have just issued from the government 
printing-office. These volumes contain respectively 
924 and 848 pages, and are amply illustrated with 
maps showing density of cotton-production and 
classes of soils. The great degree of attention given 
to this branch of agriculture by the census is amply 
walranted by the importance of this industry, the 
product of which, during the census year, was valued 
at nearly $800,000,000. A happier selection than 
Professor Hilgard for carrying on this investigation 
probably could not have been made. His long study 
of the geology and soils of the lower Mississippi 
states, with the agricultural methods practised there, 
enabled him to bring to this work a vast store of 
knowledge which was directly applicable to the sub- 
ject. 
The report is in two parts. The first contains a 
chapter on the general subject of cotton-culture in 
the United States; an extended table of measure- 
ments of cotton fibre from all sections of the cotton- 
belt; a chapter on the uses of cotton-seed and cotton- 
seed oil, and one upon soil investigations. The body 
of this part is taken up with the detailed report upon 
cotton-culture in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, 
Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas, 
and Indian Territory. Part ii. consists of similar 
