244 
Notes . 
[Apr 
— perhaps in compliment to the genius loci— should have thought 
fit to season his otherwise admirable article with party politics. 
The “ Psychological Review ” gives a remarkable “ ghost 
story,” but without the details which would be required for its 
verification. This “ Review ” also shows very prominent poli- 
tical leanings. 
Dr. Nagorski has measured the capacity of the lungs of 
630 boys and 314 girls in the schools of St. Petersburg. The 
volume is in boys 65 c.c. per kilo, of the weight of the body, and 
in girls 57 c.c. The weight of children under 15 years is pro- 
portional to 2*15 of the height. 
Mr. Herbert Spencer, long forgetful of the maxim that the 
philosopher’s position should be “ higher than on the battlements 
of party,” has at last formally come forward as a political agi- 
tator . Perhaps thinkers in thus acfting are swayed by the same 
motives which lead the “ minister of all denominations ” to turn 
sensationalist, and the pharmaceutist to vend quack medicines 
and cigars. Nevertheless they are thereby committing suicide. 
Agitations and “ movements ” are to discovery and research 
what the Phylloxera is to the vine. 
Dr. W. Flight (“ Geological Magazine ”) gives some instances 
of meteorites which have been found intensely cold on falling. 
Miss M. A. Hardaker (“ Popular Science Monthly ”) shows 
on physiological grounds, that the difference of intellectual power 
in the two sexes is due to permanent conditions, and not to arti- 
ficial arrangements. 
W. D. Le Sueur (“ Popular Science Review ”) writes — “ Before 
we could affirm grossness or anything else of matter, we should 
have to get some of it and compare it with something that was 
not matter, but which yet could be legitimately compared 
with it. 
F. Hildebrand (“ Das Ausland ”) shows that annual plants are 
most numerous where a fairly long hot season alternates with a 
cold one. In equatorial regions, and the sub-ardlic and ardtic 
zones, the vegetation is chiefly perennial. 
MM. Deherain and Maquenne (“ Annales Agronomiques ”) 
find, from repeated experiments, that the growth of plants — 
e.g., in conservatories — may be accelerated by means of an at- 
mosphere abnormally rich in carbonic acid. 
H. A. Pagenstecher, in a discourse on the Cervidae delivered 
before the Natural History and Medical Association of Heidel- 
berg, pronounced that family a model field for the study of 
descent and adaptation. 
Drs. Reynard and Blanchard (Societe de Biologie) have mea- 
sured the power of the masseter muscles of the crocodile as 
