160 
THE SCIENTIST 
Book Reviews coiit- 
The Eclectic Ma^'aziiie of foreign liter- 
ature, science and art contains a re&unie 
of all important articles which appear 
in the reading magazines of Euro)je. 
Subscription $5 per year, single copies 
45 cents. K. R. Pelton, publisher, 144 
Eighth street, New York. 
"Railway Law and Legislation,'' is the 
title of Vol., I, No., 1, of a magazine in- 
tended to cover a literary field not here- 
tofore dealt with in a separate form; the 
subjects are conveyed in popular form 
and will be found interesting to those 
who are not specially seeking railway 
and legislative information. Single 
copies 10 cents; yearly $3. Canady West, 
Gedney & Roberts, Washington, D. C. 
Canvall D. Wright, U, S. commissioner 
of labor, opens the October Popular 
Science Monthly with the first of a series 
of "Lessons from the Census" in which 
he traces the growth of the system by 
which the census, are taken and shows 
that it has come to be a somewhat un- 
wieldy instrument by the present method 
of procedure. Mr. W. F. Durfee, in the 
series of American industries, gives the 
history of manufacture of steel from 
colonial times to the introduction of the 
Bessemer process ; the article is copiously 
illustrated. Undoi- the title "Metamo!- 
phosesin Education."" f'n»f. A.E. Dolbear 
traces the necessai-y connection between 
the new character wliich human life has 
taken on, and the rise of scientific edi> 
cation. Prof. G. T. VV. Patrick discusses 
"rivalry of the higher senses"" and shows 
that man is becoming jess ''ear minded"" 
and more "eye minded."' Ih-. Fernmd 
Lagrange describes the propej- ' Exer- 
cise for Elderly People." Other articles 
are "Life on an Ostiich Farm." ilhis- 
trated, "Dress Ornaments," by Piof. F. 
Starr, illustrated, "On Polyandry" by 
Lieut. Col. A. B. Ellis, "The Dogs of 
Ancient Egypt," by M. G. Maspero, illus- 
trated, "Astronomical Societies and Ama- 
ture Astronomers," by M. L. Niesteii 
"The Spinning Sisterhood," by O. T. 
Miller, ' Hearing of the Lower Animals," 
by M. H. Bonnier," "Sketch of Prof. John 
Winthrop, portrait. New York. D. Ap. 
pleton & Co. Fifty cents per number; 
$5 per annum. 
Palaeolithic Knives. 
In what would appear to be flint flakes, 
produced by the manufacture of imple- 
ments during the palaeolithic period, 
would now, on account of the discovery 
of the many similarities, appear to be 
knives which were used by the aborigines 
in the same manner peihaps as the more 
recent scraper. The following will be 
found characterssticof all these apparent 
flakes : 
(1.) The axis is parallel with the cut- 
ting edge; 
(2.) There is a knob or "bulb of per- 
cussion" at one end ; 
(3.) They have at least one cutting 
edge; 
(4.) They show natural cleavage on 
under side; 
(5.) The "bulb of percussion," unless 
veiy large, is untouched; 
(6.) Tho "bulb of percussion" is on the 
cutting end ; 
(7.) Tbe hand work is on the upper 
side ; 
(8.) 'I'lie eutring (! id i< roini 1 'd : 
(0.) A i-jdge parellels the axis on the 
upper side, and 
(10.) Tlie extreme cutting end. at point 
of percussion, is left b'.unt— untf.uched ; 
F. J. TiDSWELL. 
(11.) T have observed that at least 
ninety-nine and one-half pei- cent of the 
knives are right handed, wliile not more 
tlian seventy or seventy-five pei- cent of 
other implements are right handed, and 
(12.) That the material, whether chert, 
obsidian, agate or something else, always 
shows a conchoidal cleavage. 
E. Walters. 
