February 12, 1886.] 



SCIEXCE. 



141 



fatal among the blacks as among the whites ; 

 while diphtheria, singularly, was three times as 

 fatal to the whites as to the blacks. 



— The New York academy of sciences an- 

 nounces a lecture, free to the public, at the 

 library building of Columbia college, on March 8, 

 by Prof. George F. Barker, on 'Radiant matter.' 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



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

 writer's nav,e is in all cases required as proof of ^oodjaith. 



International geological congress at Berlin. 



I send you the following from a paper on the ' Third 

 session of the International geological congress ' 

 (Journ. math. phys. nat. sc., Lisbon), sent me by the 

 author, Mr. Paul Choffat, one of the most important 

 and independent members of the late congress. His 

 strictures are only too just, and his criticisms are 

 well worthy of attention. 



After briefly sketching the incidents connected with 

 the origin and the assembling of this congress, 

 already familiar, M. Choffat remarks, ''A goodly 

 number of the 255 persons, representing 17 countries, 

 came to make a scientifico- artistic visit to Berlin, or 

 to make numerous acquaintances among their con- 

 freres. These must have been completely satisfied ; 

 but it is otherwise with those who came to hear 

 treated the subjects which formed the end of the 

 congress. These, I fancy, will unanimously agree 

 that this end was a little neglected." He reminds 

 his readers how important it is, and how much time 

 it saves, to discuss questions among representatives 

 of different countries where the answer comes at 

 once, instead of waiting for months, or even years ; 

 and he complains that half of the afternoon sessions 

 were devoted to scientific communications on subjects 

 not particularly interesting to the congress, and 

 which will be more profitable to those who read than 

 to those who heard them. "Granting: that there 

 was an average of an hour and a half to each seance, 

 in the four consecrated to debate there was a total 

 of six hours." He complains that the leport of the 

 sessions at Zurich and Foix simply stated that a num- 

 ber of answers had been received, both from the 

 national committees and from men of science acting 

 spontaneously, but that the nature of these answers 

 and the names of the savants were not given. In 

 answer to the reproach of the international commit- 

 tees' report, that many national committees had not 

 furnished the material that was expected of them, 

 he says that the reason of this is plain, and unfortu- 

 nately exists yet : it is, that the limits of the divisions 

 have not been fixed ; and, after taking the trouble to 

 send a map made on this or that division, one is in 

 danger of receiving it back again with the request to 

 make another copy. In the last four seances, which 

 ought to have been devoted to the discussion of ques- 

 tions of nomenclature, only the point of view of the 

 map was considered. This ought to furnish those 

 who look upon the map as simply a first edition, to 

 serve as a basis for the discussions of future con- 

 gresses, food for reflection. He thinks that the first 

 mistake was to commence the publication of a map 

 without settling the principles on which it should be 

 based. He gives the following summary of the con- 

 stitution of the three congresses thus far held : Paris, 

 194 Frenchmen and 110 foreigners, representing 20 

 countries ; Bologna, 149 Italians and 75 foreigners, 



from 16 countries ; Berlin, 163 Germans and 92 

 foreigners, representing 17 countries. " What geo- 

 logist would sacrifice his convictions to such a 

 heterogeneous assemblage ? " He thinks that not 

 only ought the number of those voting to be much 

 reduced, but they should not vote by countries. In- 

 stead of this, he proposes that they should vote by 

 geological basins, and that the voters should there- 

 fore be different for every geological question raised. 

 He concedes that it would be very difficult, if not im- 

 possible, to create such a bureau or bureaus ; but he 

 thinks that some approach to it might be made, even 

 if voting was not permitted, but the subject was 

 elucidated by the longest and freest discussion of 

 each subject possible. Finally, he thinks that a great 

 centre ought not to be chosen for the place of meet- 

 ing of the congress, as the distractions are too great, 

 and therefore he is in favor of Professor Hughes's 

 proposition (which, however, was voted down) to 

 hold the next session in Cambridge instead of Lon- 

 don. M. Choffat concludes this somewhat dissatis- 

 fied commentary on the congress by acknowledging^ 

 that, "in spite of all the weak points of the three 

 sessions of the congress, they have done much for the 

 science of geology directly and indirectly ; " and as 

 an example of the latter influence he points to the 

 splendid map of France, on a scale of 1:500,000, 

 undertaken by geologists who have not any official 

 mandate, and yet have not shrunk from the task of 

 its publication. 



Permit me to replace by my full name the first two 

 letters of it, signed to the translation of Stelzner's 

 letter in your issue of Jan. 22. 



Persifor Frazer. 



Philadelphia, Feb. 3. 



Cliff-picture in Colorado. 



Professor Tillman's note on a cliff-picture in Colo- 

 rado (Science, vii. p. 80) leads me to send this 

 account of the same object from notes made on the 

 spot in August, 1871, and published in Old and new, 

 a Boston magazine, since discontinued, in December 

 of that year : — 



The Bear Eock is a comparatively smooth face of 

 a sandstone bluff that extends about sixty feet above 

 the water, from which it is distant a hundred or more 

 yards. Upon the exposed surface of the rock, about 

 ten feet from the bottom of the cliff, is an excellent 

 life-size representation, in profile, of a three-year- old 

 cinnamon bear. The figure is dark brown, approach- 

 ing black, being darker on the anterior half. The 

 outline is distinct and perfect, unless exception may 

 be taken to a slight blurring at the bottom of the 

 hind-feet and a somewhat pronounced excess of the 

 claws of the fore-feet. From the tail to the nose the 

 length is about six feet, and the height at the shoul- 

 ders is about three and a half feet. These are merely 

 approximate dimensions ; the writer having no facili- 

 ties for exact measurement at the time of his inspec- 

 tion, Aug. 8, 1871. The legs are all visible, and the 

 head points straight to the front, as if just about to 

 take, or just having taken, a step. The fore feet are 

 on a slightly higher plane than the hind ones, as if on 

 rising ground. The expression is one of surprise 

 and alarm : the head is thrust forward and slightly 

 upward, the ears are sharply cocked forward as if 

 on the alert, and the whole attitude displays the 

 utmost fidelity to that of a bear in some excitement 

 and apprehension. There is no room for a moment's 

 doubt as to the animal, or the state of mind in which 



