structed account of the award made by the Paris Committee, the preparation of which must have cost the writer no small effort. So skilfully, however, are the words selected and the phrases arranged that, to one unfamiliar with the facts, the note appears to be a simple and straightforward statement that in declaring the award the Committee announced that it had found two memoirs of equal value and that it was decided to award a prize of 5000 francs to each, the collection of the additional money being the cause of the delay in the publication of the decision of the Committee. In the account of the affair in a recent number of SCIENCE it was pretty clearly stated that the memoir prepared by an American, Dr. Webster, of Clark University, had been adjudged by the Committee to be worthy of first place.

In order that every reader may be able to decide this matter for himself, the following quotations from the report of the Committee are submitted: Memoir 3 was that to be the work of Messrs. Oliver Lodge and R. T. Glazebrook, and No. 4 was that of Dr. Webster.

"Le n° 3 est consacré à la vérification de la formule donant la périod des décharges oscillantes d'un condensateur. C'est un travail considérable, accompagné de plusieurs photographies et dans lequel l'auteur a cherché, au moyen de calculs approfondis, à évaluer toutes les corrections inhérentes à l'emploi de sa méthode.

"La vérification n'est qu'approachée; le principe de la méthode pourrait donner lieu à quelques critiques, le circuit de la décharge se fermant périodiquement par une étincelle qui introduit des perturbations impossibles à prévoir.

"Le mémoir no 4 port sur le même sujet, étudié par une méthode nouvelle dans ses détails, qui a permis à l'auteur d'atteindre et de mesurer des périodes de quelques centmillièmes de seconde. L'influence des principales causes d'erreur paraît très at

ténuée, bien qu'il reste encore quelques doutes sur l'influence de la capacité inhérente à la bobine de self-induction. La formule a été vérifiée a 1 pour 100 prés. Le temps a fait défaut à l'auteur pour compléter ses recherches en variant les conditions de ses expériences."

And then the following award from the 'procès-verbal' of the Commission :

"La Commission estime que le mémoire n° 4 est digne de recevoir le prix établi par le Professeur Elihu Thomson; elle espére que ce témoignage encouragera l'auteur à

continuer ses belle recherches.

"Toutefois elle regrette de ne pas avoir à sa disposition deux prix d'égale valeur qu'elle serait heureuse d'attribuer aux mémoires n° 3 et n° 4.'"

A literal translation of the above, as a fair statement of its meaning is, perhaps, too much to look for in the columns of 'Nature,' but it is a pleasure to assure Messrs. Lodge and Glazebrook, whose names are household words' in every corner of this country, that their reputation is not such as to need bolstering by any oblique methods. M.

SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE.

Monographic Revision of the Pocket Gophers, Family Geomyida (exclusive of the Species of Thomomys). By DR. C. HART MERRIAM. North American Fauna, No. 8. Washington, Government Printing Office. 1895. 8vo, pp. 258, pll. 18, with 4 maps and 71 cuts in text.

In this memoir Dr. Merriam has produced an admirable piece of monographic work, setting a standard that may well be aimed at by other workers in the treatment of similar groups. The family Geomyidæ, or the Pocket Gophers, has hitherto been regarded as consisting of the two genera Geomys and Thomomys, only the first of which is here treated. It is a distinctively North American group, ranging from the

dry interior of British Columbia and the plains of the Saskatchewan to Costa Rica. The regions occupied respectively by the two groups, however, do not to any great extext overlap, Thomomys occupying in the United States the area west of the Great Plains, and the Geomys group the region between the Mississippi River and the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains, with outlying representatives in northern Florida and the contiguous portions of Alabama and Georgia. In Mexico Thomomys ranges over the peninsula of Lower California and a large portion of the interior of Mexico, which latter region it shares with numerous forms of the Geomys group, now broken up by Dr. Merriam into no less than nine genera. These collectively not only occupy a large part of central and southern Mexico, but extend as far southward as Costa Rica.

In respect to material Dr. Merriam has been especially fortunate, having availed himself of opportunities at his disposal as Chief of the Division of Ornithology and Mammalogy of the United States Department of Agriculture, to bring together material from a wide area and in an abundance scarcely dreamed of by any previous monographer of the group. Of the one thousand specimens thus rendered available for study, over two hundred are from Mexico and Central America, from which area the specimens previously handled by investigators could be counted on the fingers of the two hands. Hence not only has the known area inhabited by these animals been greatly extended, but the harvest of specimens has yielded novelties not previously suspected to exist.

Only about one-half of Dr. Merriam's excellent memoir is given to the systematic descriptions of the genera and species, the first hundred pages being devoted to the generalities of the subject-habits, function and structure of the cheek pouches, food, sexual and individual variation, geo

graphical distribution, etc., about 15 pages— and to chapters on the morphology of the skull (30 pages) and the dental armature (36 pages). Nearly seventy of the text figures and six plates relate to the structure of the skull and teeth, this profusion of illustration greatly facilitating a clear comprehension of the points discussed in the text, and forming a most important feature of the work.

In coloration, size and in external details generally, the species of Geomyidæ are very much alike. There are, however, large forms and small forms, between which there is a wide difference in size, and also forms that are normally plumbeous instead of the usual shade of yellowish brown, but in general, even for the discrimination of species, resort must be made to structural details of the skull and teeth, which often afford characters of importance where external differences are nearly inappreciable. The range of variation in cranial and dental characters is so great, in these animals which look so much alike externally, that Dr. Merriam has felt justified in separating the old genus Geomys into nine groups which he thinks should rank as genera, 'several of which he says, ' are of supergeneric value.' These genera are Geomys, Pappogeomys, Orthogeomys, Cratogeomys, Platygeomys, Orthogeomys, Heterogeomys, Macrogeomys and Gygogeomys. While these are apparently natural groups, doubtless taxonomers will differ as to whether all are entitled to full generic rank.

In 1857 Baird recognized seven species of Geomys, of which six retain place in Merriam's list. In 1877 Coues, in his monographic revision of the genus, admitted five. During the last two years others have been described, raising the number currently admitted in 1894 to sixteen. To this number Dr. Merriam here adds twenty-one, raising the total of species and sub-species to thirty-seven! Only the genera Geomys

and Cratogeomys are represented in the United States; the former, with seven species and five sub-species, scarcely extends across our southern border; the latter, with seven species and one sub-species, is mainly Mexican, one species, however, ranging northward over southeastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas. Macrogeomys is known only from Costa Rica; Heterogeomys and Orthogeomys occupy separate areas in southern Mexico and Guatemala; Pappogeomys, Platygeomys and Zygogeomys occur in central and western Mexico, the latter being known only from a very restricted area in the State of Michoacan.

The chapters on the Morphology of the Skull and the Dental Armature bring into strong relief many points in relation to changes of structure, due to age and growth, which have heretofore been only lightly touched upon, and especially the influence of the masseter muscle upon the general shape of the skull in adult life. The facts here presented may well be studied with care and profit by students of not only the mammals of to-day, but of the extinct forms as well. The skull is considered not only as a whole, but its individual bones are treated in detail, with cuts showing the skull sectionized, and young skulls in comparison with old ones of the same species. The memoir thus illustrates some of the best work and the tendencies of the new school' in recent mammalogy. In fact, no similar group of mammals has before been treated in such exhaustive detail, or from a morphological standpoint, or with such admirable profusion of illustration.

AMERICAN MUSEUM OF

J. A. ALLEN.

NATURAL HISTORY, NEW YORK.

The Planet Earth. RICHARD A. GREGORY, 16 mo, pp. 108. Macmillan & Co., New York. Price 60 cents.

This little book is called 'An Astronomical Introduction to Geography.' In the

of

preface the reader is promptly informed that in class books on Astronomy and Geography the subject of the earth considered as a planet is treated inadequately and unscientifically. The author expresses his hope that his treatment, which, by inference, is both adequate and scientific, may be the means of reviving the 'Observational Astronomy of pre-telescopic times.' Just why the telescope should be tabooed, or why it is less scientific' than strings with beads strung on them, does not clearly appear. It is quite evident, however, that the author wishes to restore what is sometimes called the historical' method presentation and instruction, according to which the student is expected to traverse the path along which mankind has slowly toiled in order to reach conclusions which in the present state of our knowledge are often quickly attained by perfectly logical processes. There is, also, generally involved in this method, the erroneous assumption that a student can, in the short time available for his training in science and scientific methods, re-discover for himself all the great facts and principles which are the fruit of ages of intellectual activity, if only he has a few simple appliances at hand and is started in the right direction. is a very large error, and it is not desirable to pursue it farther at this point. Admitting, therefore, and no one will venture to deny this, that much can be learned by a proper study of the apparent motions of the heavenly bodies, and that young people should be led to make such study before finishing or even beginning their study of the earth, as it is presented in the so-called unscientific treatment in Astronomy and Geography, it is yet extremely doubtful if the book now under consideration will be of real value to them.

This

The first chapter, which forms a considerable part of the whole, is devoted to the constellations.' The continued fixedness of

the North Star at one point in the sky is established by a quotation from Shakespeare, but there is an intimation later that the distinguished poet was possibly a little weak in his Astronomy. The author is very fond of bolstering up quite generally accepted scientific theories by poetic quotations, and even in the case of the Law of Gravitation, against which there can hardly be said to be any serious rebellion at the present time, he finds it desirable to repeat that bit of nonsense beginning,

"The very law that moulds a tear,”

ous references to Lucifer, Apollo, etc., etc. To illustrate the phases of Venus, which, by the way, hardly belong to pre-telescopic astronomy, the author shows a picture in which a lamp represents the sun, and a comely young woman with quite-up-to-date leg-of-mutton sleeves is represented as standing in four positions, in front of, behind, on the right and on the left of the luminary as viewed by the reader. Unfortunately it has been thought necessary to represent this young lady as looking squarely at the sun in all of the four positions, and thus what is intended to simplify

In the discussion of the size and mass of the earth, as elsewhere, great unevenness is shown. On one page is a diagram of a complicated piece of triangulation by the British Ordnance Survey, including the base-line on Salisbury Plain, and on that opposite is one explaining angular measure and terrestrial latitude by opening the legs of a pair of compasses. In the discussion. of latitude there are many errors, and a beginner will be greatly helped by not reading it. There is a good deal about the Zodiac, with incidental references to 'mansions in the sky' and the emotions with which the first men witnessed the first Setting of the Sun, to whom he was dead,' together with a brief account of how their hopes were buoyed up and their fears calmed by the appearance of the Evening Star.' See wood cut on opposite page representing Venus shining upon a rural scene, including a village of at least twenty houses, a church with a tall spire tipped with a cross, and calming the fears of a farmer driving a yoke of oxen drawing a cart on which is probably a half ton of hay or grain or something of the sort. This is a marvellous development for a single day. At this point more poetry appears, and the rigorously scientific treatment is enhanced in value by numer

to be much more effective in establishing a very erroneous conclusion respecting another. And this is not the only happening of this kind in the barely one hundred pages of the book. To one who only 'skims' through it, it is reminiscent of the days of a quarter or half century ago, when 'Astronomy and the Use of the Globes' was a favorite subject in young ladies' seminaries. A more careful examination shows, however, that it is not so harmless as might at first appear, and although it unquestionably contains some good features it is quite safe to predict that the 'inadequate and unscientific' treatment of the subject found in good, modern text-books of Astronomy and Geography will continue, for the present, to receive the confidence of both instructors and students. T. C. M.

Biological Lectures Delivered at the Marine Biological Laboratory of Wood's Holl. 8vo, 242 pp. Boston, Ginn & Co. 1894.

In no way, short of an actual sojourn at the Wood's Holl Laboratory, is it possible to secure a better idea of the scope and character of the opportunities afforded by this institution than by the perusal of this series of selected lectures. Wood's Holl is at once the 'finishing school' of the American biological student, and the rallying point

for trained investigators. Its biological laboratory affords advantages which are each year more widely appreciated, and one has but to glance over the titles of the papers listed in the appendix to the volume under consideration, to be impressed with the scientific vigor which characterizes both its staff and pupils.

6

The ten lectures for 1894 bear the following titles: I. 'The Mosaic Theory of Development,' by E. B. Wilson. II. The Fertilization of the Ovum,' by E. G. Conklin. III. 'On Some Facts and Principles of Physiological Morphology,' by Jacques Loeb. IV. 'Dynamics of Evolution,' by J. A. Ryder. V. 'On the Nature of Cell-Organization,' by S. Watasé. VI. 'The Inadequacy of the Cell-Theory of Development,' by C. O. Whitman. VII. Bdellostoma Dombeyi Lac,' by Howard Ayres. VIII. The Influence of External Conditions on Plant Life,' by W. P. Wilson. IX. 'Irrito Contractility in Plants,' by J. Miurhead McFarlane. X. 'The Marine Biological Stations of Europe,' by Bashford Dean.

6

Of these papers more than one-half are concerned in a presentation of the results of modern research into the activities of the living cell, and it would be difficult to direct a student to any one volume from which he might gain a clearer idea, or find a more satisfactory discussion, of the present condition of theory and established fact concerning the cell state. Prof. E. B. Wilson strikes the key-note of the motive which runs through the book when he calls attention, on the first page, to the remarkable change of front which has taken place during recent years respecting the germlayer theory-namely: (a) the growing recognition of the inadequacy of a theory of development which practically ignores the pregastrular stages of the ovum; and (b) the tendency to resume the attempts of Brücke and others to formulate a pre-organization theory which should account for

the evident organization of the cell, by the postulation of primary elements, or bearers of cell qualities; the 'physiological units of Herbert Spencer, the 'gemmules' of Darwin, the 'Micella' of Nägeli, the 'plastidules' of Elsberg and Haeckel, the 'inotagmata' of Th. Engelmann, the 'pangenes' of De Vries, the 'plasomes' of Wiesner, the 'idioblasts' of Hertwig, the 'biophores' of Weismann, and finally the 'idiosomes' of Whitman, in which may be found the secret of organization, growth and development.'

The tendency in modern biology is, in other words, to rob the cell of its leadership in the phenomena of organization, and to regard it as but a 'biotome,' life epoch, or form-phase; correlated with a series of visible cell-aggregates (organs and tissues) on the one hand, and to another series of invisible aggregates of diminishing complexity, which terminate finally in protoplasmic molecules variously designated, as indicated above. These living molecules are pointed out as the foundation of organization, and the protoplasmic molecule, the 'Specifische Bildungstoffe of Sachs, as the essential archetectonic element;' furnishing a common basis for every grade of organization, but 'subject to a regenerative and formative power existing as one and the same thing throughout the organic world' (Whitman). The prevailing thought of the book seems to be expressed by Ryder in the conviction "that experimental investigation in embryology will make no solid progress until all such conceptions as gemmules, biophores and idiosomes are abandoned," and in the dictum of Loeb that "all life phenomena are determined by chemical processes." We are asked to concur in the admission that "the phenomena of life are ultimately physical in their nature and are to be treated in detail as physical problems."

We may derive from these essays a notion of the drift of biological thought in the