SCIENCE. 



Sir G. B. Airy, J, Campbell, A. A. Common, G. H. Dar- 

 win, Major J. Herschel, E. B. Knobel, G. Knott, A. 

 Marth, E. Neison, A. C. Ranyard, Prof. H. J. S. Smith. 



The gold medal of the Royal Astronomical Society has 

 been presented to Prof. Axel Moller, Director of the Ob- 

 servatory at Lund, in Sweden, for his investigations on 

 the motion of Faye's comet. W. C. W. 



Washington, March 18, 1881. 



MICROSCOPY. 



On looking over the Transactions of the New Zealand 

 Institute for 1878, we notice that a Mr. A. Hamilton 

 speaks of having discovered Melicerta ringens. It was 

 found in great profusion, on the finely-divided leaves of the 

 Myriophytlum. This adds another locality to the wide 

 geographical distribution of this interesting Rotifer. 



Mr. Hamilton states that after examining a number of 

 specimens he found the description given by Gasse cor- 

 rect, except that the formation of the pellets was at a 

 much slower rate than that stated by him. 



In the same locality were also found organisms which 

 Mr. Hamilton thought to be Plnmatella repens ; they 

 were growing on dead thistles in a swamp in only a few 

 inches of water. 



The American Monthly Microscopical Journal for 

 March editorially announces the immediate publication 

 of Mr. F. Habirshaw's Catalogue ot the Diatomaceae, also 

 by the editor, a small book based on Professor J. Leidy's 

 " Freshwater Rhizopods of North America." The edi- 

 tor's handbook on Adulteration is withdrawn. 



In the same number Dr. F. S. Bi'lings gives a long 

 resume of what is known about " Trichence," but seems 

 to offer no new facts ; the illustration he offers of ''Fresh 

 trichinous invasion" (after Heller) is a wretched misrep- 

 resentation of free trichinae. 



Any reader desirous of examining living specimens of 

 trichinae in this condition can obtain them on calling at 

 our office. 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



[The Editor does not hold himself responsible for opinions expressed 

 by his correspondents. No notice is taken of anonymous communi- 

 cations.] 



To the Editor of " Science :" 



The development of a peculiar non-nervous tissue in 

 connection with the rhomboid sinus of the lumbo-sacral 

 intumescence in birds, and which is especially well 

 marked at the embryonic period, is I think of some bear- 

 ing on the recently agitated question of a so-called 

 lumbar brain in the extinct sauranodon. In all amniote 

 embryos that I have studied myself, and of which I can 

 find illustrations in accessible works, it is remarkable 

 that there is a distinct posterior enlargement before the 

 cephalic enlargement is well marked, or the brachial in- 

 tumescence is even indicated m the medullary tube. 

 This fact may point to the potent influence of some, at 

 one time, deeply engrafted ancestral trait. It is not, I 

 think, necessary or warrantable to go beyond this fact, 

 and the established one of the existence of a non-nervous 

 enlargement at the same region in allied sauropsicke in 

 endeavoring to account for the peculiarity found in the 

 spinal canal of an extinct saurian genus. The supposi- 

 tion of the existence of anything meriting the designa- 

 tion of a brain elsewhere than in the cranial cavity in 

 any amniote animal would be so fundamentally out of 

 harmony with what we have learned to consider as the 

 normal type of structure, that much stronger evidence 

 than the size of a bony receptacle must be adduced be- 



fore it can even be taken into consideration. That the 

 size of a cavity and that of the contained organ are not 

 neecssarily in close correspondence, has been alluded to 

 by another correspondent under the initials of B. G. W, 

 1 have been struck, in this connection, with the discre- 

 pancy between the size of the brain cavity and the brain 

 itself in a two year old hippopotamus, though they corre- 

 sponded in a young elephant. 



Respectfully, 



E. C. Spitzka, M. D. 



N. Y. 130 E. 50th Street. 



To the Editor of SCIENCE : 



Paris, March 5th, 1881. 



In bringing before your notice various points which 

 are both novel and interesting, it seems to be my fate 

 constantly to struggle with an embarras de richesse rep- 

 resented by a vast, combination of phenomena which is 

 forever appearing upon the scientific horizon. 



Condensing therefore as much as possible the matter 

 at my command, I will begin with a very trite and com- 

 monplace observation ; petroleum is a most excellent 

 thing in its way. It is inexpensive and it gives forth 

 a beautiful light. But these advantages, as many know 

 to their sorrow, are more than counterbalanced by the 

 disagreeable habit it sometimes has of exploding. Acci- 

 dents thus occasioned, frequently prove fatal, as the vio- 

 lence and intensity of the explosion prevent, in most 

 cases, speedy relief being administered to the victims. 

 Besides this, the methods employed are inefficient and 

 usually unsatisfactory. 



M. Ichlumberger, whose mind for some time has been 

 occupied with this subject, finally proposes a mode of ex- 

 tinction which is exceedingly simple, and at the same 

 time instantaneous. So confident is he of the efficacy of 

 his plan, that he would like to make a law compelling 

 every one to adopt it who has petroleum in any quantity. 



This is his method ; Upon every keg or barrel of 

 petroleum, place a moderately large bottle filled with 

 aqua ammonias. Should an explosion occur, the shock 

 will shatter the bottle, spread the fumes of the ammonia 

 in the atmosphere, and produce an automatic and infal- 

 lible extinction of the flames. 



This plan can well be recommended to those who 

 make use of petroleum, or who are obliged to superintend 

 the distillation of the liquid. It is only necessary to have 

 within easy access one or several bottles of aqua am- 

 monias, whose contents should instantly be scattered 

 upon the petroleum in case it catches fire. 



M. Ichlumberger also thinks that this mode of extinc- 

 tion could be effectively utilized in mines where fire-damp 

 is imminent. The ammonia should be put in reservoirs, 

 and so placed that it will be overturned immediately when 

 the explosion occurs. This agent would undoubtedly be 

 more powerful than water, and M. Ichlumberger's idea 

 is worthy of serious attention. 



A very peculiar case of poisoning occurred a short 

 time ago at Puy l Eveque, an account of which was sent 

 to the Acadimie de Me'dicine by Dr. Demeaux. It seems 

 that a family composed of five persons was taken vio- 

 lently ill after having eaten some mushrooms. One of 

 the mushrooms left from dinner was sent by Dr. Demeaux 

 to the Academic as a specimen, and upon being exam- 

 ined by M. Chatin, was found to belong to one of the 

 numerous varieties of the oronge-cigue species called the 

 Amanita bulbosa. Nine-tenths ol the mushroom pois- 

 oning we hear about is -due to this Amanita which, on 

 account of its white color is frequently mistaken by the 

 inexperienced and unsuspecting tor the haimless mush- 

 room. It is certainly the height of folly tor people to run 

 about the woods and fields mushroom hunting, unless 

 they are perfectly familiar with the different species. 



