128 
THE SCIEXTIST. 
FiiKill}^ the utilitarian di-e:iiiier of the 
Ac.ulein}^ spoke of tlie [)0.«sibility of 
perfecliiig tlie i-eceiving and traiisniittinoj 
apparatus of .sonK'tliing similar to a tel- 
ephone, so that the ra3-s of lit^ht from a 
picture or scene could be transmitted to 
a distant point, so that we could not 
only converse w ith, but actually see the 
person with whom we were talkin*^. 
Before the lime of the te]e[)hone, mi- 
crophone or phona<^r-ipli, such a state- 
ment as the latter would have been sal- 
uted by a half dozen of the members 
making a niovement of the right arm sim- 
ilar to winding of the windlass. As it 
was very warm, the meinbers 
drifted homeward lazily considering the 
possibility. — J. S. 
Excliaiiges ami lloviows. 
Taxidei-my and Zoological Collecting, 
by Wm T. Ilarnaday, 'S6-2 pp., 24 plates 
and 85 other illustrations. Price in 
cloth 12.50 net. Chas. Scribners' Sons. 
Publishers, ISTew York. 
Wm. T. Ilarnaday, its author, has 
been Cliief Taxidermist of the U.S. Nat- 
ional Museum for eight (8) years. This 
aught to insure a work on taxiderm}^ of 
considerable importance. That he 
"seems enclined to make sport of anato- 
my in its relations to taxiderm}-'' is to be 
regretted. Never the less, it will ])rove 
u most valuable addition to any Taxidei-- 
mist's library, professional or othei wise. 
We bespeak for the work an extensive 
sale. 
As the well known firm Messrs. Chas. 
Scribners' Sons, New York City are the 
publishers, it is of course a most excel- 
lently printed and bound volume. 
Elements of Entomology, by Noble M. 
Eberhart, Ph. D., Sc. D., F. S. Sc. (Lon- 
don) is just the book for amateurs as 
well as the general public who so often 
wish to know the names of the man^'^ 
curious insects find around us. It 
contains forty full page plates and has 
over 300 figui-es accni-ately illustraring 
thepeculiai- markings of each, with a 
description of color markings thus mak- 
ing it in every sense a reachj reference 
for naming insects. It also contains fidl 
dii'cctions for collecting, i)resei-ving and 
mounting of insects. The young col- 
lector caimot afi'ord to be without this 
book. Price 35 cts. For sale by A. 
Flanagan, Publisher, Chicago 
Important Meetings. 
The Jntkknatioxal Geological 
Society and the American GEOLOciiCAL 
Society meet at AV^ashington, D. (j., 
Aug. 2<)th, and i-emain in session till 
Sept. 4th. The leading Geologists of 
tlie Old World are exi)ected, and the 
Geologists and Pak'eontologists of the 
U. S. will be present in force. An enter- 
taining programme has been prepared 
and matters of importance will be 
discussed, a synopsis of which will ap- 
pear in next Scientist. 
Discoverers of Electricity. 
Some two thousand years ago we ob- 
trined our first knowledge of "electricity 
from the diseovery that amber when 
rubbed attracted light aiticles. 'J'his 
knowledge pr.^fited us but little up to 
within the last hmidred yeai's when re- 
search in this directioii became more 
active. 
The name of Dr. Gilbert, who was 
first physicion to Queen Elizabeth, ap- 
pears prominently connected with early 
electrical researches. But not till Frank-- 
lin's time was electricity ever ai)pljed to 
the affairs of every day life, he beino- 
the originator of the "lightning rod. " ^ 
Other laws governing the phenomena 
of electricity were discovered from tin-ie 
to time. Sir Humphrey Davy's historic 
battery of 2000 cells in ]8l6, was the 
source of the first flashes of ihe electric 
arc. Michall Faraday, a blacksmith's 
son, having been one of Davy's assistants 
continued his experiments alone and 
eventually discovered the principal 
which is now involved in all dynamos, 
which to-day produce the electric energy 
flooding the . civilized towns and 
cities of the world with light. The end 
is yet to come. 
