766 
that ‘ that little twinkling star,’ as he expressed 
himself, should be able to send its light to us.”’ 
Noteworthy is Professor Stokes’s opinion 
(p. 83) of the astonishing conclusions of 
Young and Forbes as to the varying velocities 
of propagation of different wave-lengths in 
vacuum; for his doubts as to their validity 
seem founded only upon the fact that the con- 
clusions depend upon the judgment of the eye 
of a single observer. 
We shall await with interest the publication 
of the next year’s course, which is to be devoted 
to researches in which light has been used as 
a means of investigation. The third year’s 
course will ‘‘ be assigned to light considered in 
relation to its beneficial effects.’’ 
NOURSE’S AMERICAN EXPLORATION 
IN THE ICE-ZOUNES. 
American exploration in the ice-zones (etc.), prepared 
chiefly from official sources. By Prof. J. E. 
NourseE, U.S.N. Boston, Lothrop, 1884. 
578 p., illustr., maps. 8°. 
Tue work of Professor Nourse does not pro- 
fess to be, and is not in any sense, a study of 
the results of arctic exploration performed by 
Americans, or of the relation of American ex- 
plorations to explorations made by the people 
of other nations. It is simply a collection of 
narratives of the different expeditions, — gotten 
up, like the stock compilations, by hack-writers, 
— which are published on various subjects from 
time to time. It is a book undeserving of high 
praise, either in its contents or its make-up. 
The only thing which redeems it from perfect 
mediocrity is the fact that it contains some 
data in relation to the North Pacific exploring 
expedition, under Rodgers, the report of which 
still remains unpublished, and a few facts from 
3+ 
SCIENCE. 
- 
[Vou. III., No. 72. 
Hooper’s report of his voyage in the Corwin 
in 1881, the original of which has not been 
made public. 
The record is complete only for the naval 
and military expeditions. Those of the tele- 
graph explorers, 1865-68, are not even men- 
tioned, though much of their work was in 
really arctic regions; and the indirect results 
of their explorations have added one-seventh 
of its area to the present United States, and 
have contributed at least one hundred titles to 
geographical bibliography. The travels of 
Kennicott and others in the Hudson-Bay re- 
gion, of Nelson in northern Alaska, the work 
of the coast-survey in and north of Bering 
Strait in 1880, are left to other chroniclers. 
We presume this may be accounted for by the 
fact that the investigations referred to, and 
their value, are familiar only to students, spe- 
cialists, and geographers, and not easy of access 
to the mere compiler. 
From a literary point of view, the work is 
open to severe criticism. The thread of the 
narrative is frequently broken for the most 
trivial digressions, which are pursued at great 
length. The misprints are numerous, and gen- 
erally of that objectionable kind which con- 
fuses the sense, without being obyious to the 
ordinary reader. ‘Trifling matters are detailed 
at length, while more important ones are omit- 
ted. 
In spite of all this, the book will be attrac- 
tive to youthful readers who are not critics, and 
enjoy unfamiliar details, and to whom the really 
weightier matters are not important. It is fully 
illustrated by cuts drawn from Rink, Bessels, 
Hall, Hayes, and various government publica- 
tions, and is accompanied by the worst map 
of the cireumpolar regions which we have ever 
encountered. 
INTELLIGENCE FROM AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC STATIONS. 
GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS. 
U. & geological survey. 
Paleontology. — Mr. C. D. Walcott has prepared 
the manuscript for a report on the St. John fauna of 
New Brunswick, contained in the Hartt collection. 
It is ready for publication as a bulletin of the survey, 
and only awaits the completion of the drawings illus- 
trating it to go to press. 
During April the collection of Devonian fossils 
from the Hamilton group of New York was trans- 
ferred to the U.S. national museum, and recorded. 
The collection was made about Moravia, N.Y., by 
Mr. Cooper Curtice, during a portion of the field sea- 
son of 1888. It also included a quantity of specimens 
collected by Mr. Curtice prior to his becoming a mem- 
ber of the geological survey. ‘The collection consisted 
of fifteen hundred and seventy-seven specimens, con- 
taining sixty-two genera and a hundred and eigh- 
teen species. 
Dr. C. A. White, during May, was occupied mainly 
with the examination of fossils forwarded from Cali- 
fornia by Mr. G. F. Becker, and in preparatory study 
for his proposed work in the mesozoic and cenozoic 
areas of California during the coming season. Dr. 
White started for California the 2d of June, and will 
probably take the field first in the Clear Lake region, 
and make a section towards the coast. 
