100 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. VII., No. 156 



field are engageJ in an investigation of the geyser 

 waters of the Yellowstone park ; Mr. R. B. Riggs 

 is making a series of analyses of the lepidolites of 

 Maine, and is also analyzing an undescribed me- 

 teoric iron from the collection in the national 

 museum ; Mr. Hillebrand is engaged on minerals 

 and rocks from Colorado ; and Mr. Chatard is at 

 work upon the associates of corundum from North 

 Carolina, and upon the water of Mono Lake, Cali- 

 fornia. 



— A change has been made in the time of 

 issuing the Smithsonian and national museum 

 reports. Heretofore these reports covered the 

 calendar year ; but the board of regents of the 

 Smithsonian institution have recently directed 

 that the reports shall hereafter correspond to the 

 fiscal year extending from July to the end of the 

 following June inclusive. The reports from Jan. 1, 

 1885, to June 30, 1885, are now about ready for 

 the printer ; the report of the secretary of the 

 Smithsonian institution to the board of regents, 

 for the first half of 1885, being already published 

 in pamphlet form. 



— Bulletin No. 28 of the national museum, 

 recently issued, is W. G. Binney's 4 Manual of 

 American land-shells,' which is an enlarged and 

 revised edition of the * Land and fresh-water 

 shells of North America,' part i., published in 

 1869, to which subsequently described species are 

 added. 



— The Botanical gazette for January contains 

 a heliotype engraving of Professor Gray, with a 

 sketch of his life by Prof. C. R. Barnes. Other 

 articles of interest in this number are by Professor 

 Coulter, on the ' Pollen-spore of Tradescantia ; ' 

 J. C. Arthur, upon a new fungus infesting the 

 clover-leaf beetle, Phytonomus punctatus ; a new 

 species of Anemone, by Professor Gray, etc. 



— The first number of the monthly Journal of 

 the Trenton natural history society contains a 

 number of short, readable articles, mostly on 

 animal and plant habits. 



— The joint commission appointed by the last 

 congress to consider the propriety of consolidating 

 the scientific bureaus of the government have 

 concluded the examination of witnesses, and will 

 shortly submit their report. While their recom- 

 mendations are not deiinitely known, it is probable 

 some sort of re-organization will be advised with 

 regard to the signal service, and it may be en- 

 tirely separated from the army. General Sheridan 

 is authority for the statement that the army 

 does not need this wing of its service, and that 

 there is no objection to placing it under civil 

 control. 



— In Science, vii. p. 75, in the letter entitled 

 • An early prediction of the decay of the obelisk,' 

 second line, ' St. Petersburg ' should read ' Frei- 

 berg.' 



— In Science, vii. p. 75, in the letter entitled 

 'Sea -level and ocean -currents,' seventh line, 

 ' Bourdaione ' should read ' Bourdaloue ; ' thirty- 

 third line, ' diversity ' should read ' density : ' 

 p. 76. second column, thirteenth line, ' 25 feel ' 

 should read ' 2.5 feet.' 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



**♦ Correspondents are requested to be as brief as possible. The 

 writer's name is in all cases required as proof of good faith. 



The festoon cloud. 



In Science, vii. p. 57, Prof. W. M. Davis, after 

 giving a description of a form of cloud designated 

 'festoon' cloud, asks if the cloud is commonly seen 

 in this country. I have seen the form of cloud 

 described at least as often as a dozen times within 

 the last six years ; but, on account of not having my 

 records at hand, I cannot give the dates. 



I have seen the cloud once or twice associated with 

 thunder-storms', but most frequently with the stratus- 

 cloud accompanying ' areas of low pressure,' or 

 cyclones. 



The appearance presented to me is that of a cloud- 

 stratum with an irregular base, in contrast with the 

 level base usually seen. 



The cloud then presents an appearance as if fes- 

 toons were hung from it, which are sometimes some- 

 what circular and rounded, at other times irregular. 



The explanation given that they are due to the 

 slow descent of cloud-matter, due to the failure of an 

 ascending current, is, no doubt, the correct one. 



H. Helm Clayton. 



Cambridge, Mass., Jan. 24. 



Text-books on methods in microscopic anatomy. 



The review of Dr. Whitman's ' Methods in micro- 

 scopical anatomy,' in Science (No. 154, p. 64), seems 

 to me not quite just, in that it implies that the author 

 has been negligent in the performance of his task, 

 particularly in regard to that part of it which most 

 gives value to his work ; namely, the chapter on 

 embryological methods. In this the author has given 

 a careful summary, the outcome of much laborious 

 and painstaking search , so that we have for the 

 first time a compact presentation of a large number 

 of special methods for the handling of embryological 

 material. It is true that it is not exhaustive, — I am 

 grateful that it is not, — but it contains most of the 

 best results of experience in the difficult art of pre- 

 paring eggs and embryos of many kinds for micro- 

 scopical examination. And since it is just in this 

 direction of microscopical embryology that the most 

 earnest and capable zoological energies are now 

 turned, I feel that 4>r. Whitman has done science 

 good service by the valuable critical compilation 

 made in the chapter referred to. Now, I wish to find 

 fault with your reviewer because he says that " the 

 arrangement [of this chapter] leaves the impression 

 that it is the result of fortuitous reading rather than 

 a methodical search for the most valuable things 



