120 
Notes. 
“ Science” remarks that “ Science must be almost as much 
popularised to be made accessible to all scientific readers as to 
be readable by the educated public who were never in a 
laboratory.” 
The skeleton of an unusually large mastodon (“ Kansas Review 
of Science”) is said to have been found near Woodstock, in 
Canada. The lower jaw is 30 inches long, and must have 
weighed upwards of 150 lbs. 
Dr. A. Gcette considers the cause of death in the simplest 
polyplastides to be “ propagation by germs capable of deve- 
lopment.” 
A. Burgerstein (“ Deutsche Botan. Gesellschaft ”) has observed 
that the petals of the Compositas are capable of absorbing water, 
the lower surface more readily than the upper. 
“ Science ” gives an interesting account of the marine labora- 
tory in connection with the Johns Hopkins University. 
The “ Popular Science Monthly,” in an otherwise able article 
against the predominance of classical studies in education, says, 
“A despotic paternal Government has Church-and-State reasons 
for maintaing a dead-language culture as a national policy.” 
Mr. A. G. Boardman, in the same paper, gives faCts support- 
ing the view that Dipterous inseCts are carriers of disease. 
Herr Westermaier (“ Berichte Deutsch, Botan. Gesellschaft ”) 
traces the ascent of water in plants mainly to endosmotic 
aCtion. 
Professor Owen, in a recent work, maintains that the dorsal 
aspeCt of a caterpillar or a crab really corresponds with the 
ventral aspeCt of a vertebrate animal. The pineal and pituitary 
bodies are the residue of the deutostome or invertebrate mouth. 
Professor Helmholtz calculates that the solar system has been 
in existence for 500 million years, — a more liberal allowance 
than that of certain English physicists. 
Professor Heer maintained that the true vine is an archiaeval 
inhabitant of Europe. 
The first atmospheric wave caused by the Sunda eruption 
reached Berlin ten hours after the event ; sixteen hours later 
came a second wave, via America ; and thirty-seven hours after- 
wards a third, by the direCt way. Minute and unusual fluctua- 
tions of the barometer were still traced until September 4th. 
The “ Banner of Israel ” announces the discovery of certain 
remains of Noah’s ark. 
v v 1 / * 
