is correct, it is somewhat disappointing to have such a type as Tritylodon taken from the class mammalia. The evidence does not seem to be conclusive. SIR WILLIAM DAWSON. edited by Dr. Paul Von Salvisberg and published by the International Hochschulwesen in Munich. In addition to original articles on educational interests it proposes to publish academic news, and the editor will be THE building used as a school of manual training by the New York Institution for One Hundred and Sixty-fifth Street and the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb, at Fort Washington Avenue, was burned on April 8th, causing a loss of $40,000. The building stood about 400 feet from the main buildings of the institution. Ar the last regular monthly meeting of glad to have items of news sent to him. the Montreal Natural History Society (26th ult.), Sir J. William Dawson read a paper on the skeleton of a 'white whale' (Beluga), recently found in a brickyard off the Papineau Road, Montreal. The specimen, which was imbedded in the Leda clay, belongs to a species once abundant, and still not at all uncommon, in the lower St. Lawrence. Though it is now rarely known to ascend the river to fresh water, a stuffed specimen in the museum of the N. H. Society is said to have been caught near Montreal. fossil was below the normal length, being lation, by Dr Charles R. Eastman, of Prof. about 12 feet. The Since his retirement from the principalship of McGill University, Sir William Dawson has turned his larger leisure to good account. Besides three important works issued from the press during the last two years, he has found time for special courses of lectures and an unfailing succession of papers on a wide range of subjects. Just forty years ago he entered on his task of building up McGill College. The status of the university when his supervision ceased, in 1893, is one of the things on which Canadian science may well congratulate itJ. T. C. self. GENERAL. THE Niles bill incorporating the New York Zoological Society, and providing for the establishment of a zoological garden, has been passed by the Senate at Albany. D. APPLETON & Co. announce a Criminology Series edited by Mr. Douglas Morrison, the first volume of which, The Female Offender, by Professor C. Lombroso, will be issued this month. AT a meeting on March 28th, the Court of St. Andrew's University decided to found two medical chairs, the one of materia medica and the other of anatomy. MACMILLAN & Co. have in press a trans Karl von Zittel's Elements of Paleontology.' DR. THOMAS M. DROWN, now Professor of Chemistry in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has been elected President of Lehigh University. LUIGI FERRI, Professor of Philosophy in the University of Rome, died recently at the age of 68. DR. G. GLOGAU, Professor of Philosophy in the University of Kiel, died recently in Greece at the age of 50. PROFESSORS ERMAN, E. Schmidt and Stumpf, of the University of Berlin, have been elected members of the Prussian Academy of Sciences. THE British Government spent in 1894 £4,802 on the destruction of locusts in Cyprus. The methods used were the collection of eggs during the summer and winter and the purchase of live locusts by weight in spring. THE following lectures will be given before the Royal Institution, of London, after Easter: Professor George Forbes, three THE Academische Revue is a new journal lectures on 'Alternating and Interrupted Electric Currents'; Professor E. Ray Lankester, four lectures on 'Thirty Years' Progress in Biological Science'; Professor Dewar, four lectures on 'The Liquefaction of Gases'; Dr. William Huggins, three lectures on The Instruments and Methods of Spectroscopic Astronomy.' SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILA DELPHIA. Ar the meeting on March 26th Dr. M. V. Ball called attention to the microscopic preparation of the germ characteristic of erysipelas, the botanical name of which is Streptococcus pyogenes. The culture of the organism had been used with most gratifying success in the treatment of cancer, the cure of some cases having been reported, while others had been manifestly benefited. A subcutaneous injection of the culture raises the temperature to 104° in 20 minutes. This palliative effect of the poison of erysipelas had long been known, the improvement of cancer cases accidentally cases accidentally affected having been noticed years ago in hospitals. Dr. S. G. Dixon spoke of the morphological resemblance between Actinomyces, or the ray fungus, and Ægerita candida, a white fungus, found growing on damp decaying wood. The former is believed to produce in cattle and man the disease known as lump jaw, or Actinomyces. Should the two fungi prove to be identical, the hitherto unknown cause of lump jaw in cattle would not only be explained, but cattle breeders would be enabled to prevent, to a great extent, the much dreaded disease. Mr. Henry C. Pilsbry exhibited fine specimens of the genus Cerion, and called special attention to the variations of the teeth or plates on the collumella, some of which extended far into the shell, while in other individuals they are quite superficial, the external characters, however, remaining the same. He believed the use of these folds was to enable the mollusk to keep a more firm grasp of the shell, and thus move it about more freely, as it hangs from twigs and leaves. The geographical distribution of the species is peculiar. They inhabit Cuba, Hayti, the Bahamas and Florida Keys and reappear in Curacoa, off the northern coast of South America, but are completely absent from Jamaica and the Caribbean chain. There is, therefore, a wide gap between the northern and southern areas inhabited by the genus Cerion, although the islands in this space are apparently favorable to the existence of snails. A suite of specimens illustrating species of Cerion was exhibited. EDW. J. NOLAN, Recording Secretary. NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. AT the meeting of the Section of Astronomy and Physics of the New York Academy of Sciences on April 1st Professor R. S. Woodward was elected chairman and William Hallock secretary for the following year. President Rees gave a very interesting resumé of the work done in astronomy during 1894. This paper may appear in SCIENCE a little later. President Rees then showed some of Professor Barnard's wonderful photographs of the Milky-Way, pointing out the evidences of the peculiar geometrical clustering of the stars in certain parts, as well as the 'dark lanes' and 'star streams' discovered by Barnard. He also showed photographs of several comets, especially Brooks', which went through such interesting changes. The photographs brought out most beautifully the unusual structure of the tail, and the sudden changes in shape, especially when it seemed to have encountered a resisting medium and apparently broke the tail near its middle. The pictures were discussed and admired by the members. Mr. C. A. Post admitted that his skepticism as to 'star streams' had been conquered, and argued that from the photograph it seemed more probable that Brooks' comet had run its head against the obstacle rather than its tail, as maintained by Professor Barnard. WM. HALLOCK, Sec'y of Section. THE TEXAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE, APRIL 5. Brief announcement of my recent discoveries in the mathematics of engineering: DR. G. B. HALSTED. The storm-water storage system of irrigation: ROBERT A. THOMPSON. Cometary Orbits as related to the solar system: CHARLES K. MCDONALD. Microscopic exhibition of slides sent by Dr. A. J. Smith on the organism which causes malarial fever: W. W. NORMAN. SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MATHEMATICS, APRIL. A Method for Calculating Simultaneously all the Roots of an Equation: EMORY MCCLINTOCK. Sur le logarithme de la fonction gamma: CH. HERMITE. Sur la pression dans les mileux diélectriques ou magnétiques: P. DUHEM. On Ternary Substitution-Groups of Finite Order which leave a Triangular unchanged: H. MASCHKE. PSYCHE, APRIL. A Comparison of Colias hecla with Colias meadii and Colias elis: THOMAS E. BEAN. Western Pedicia, Bittacomorpha and Trichocera: C. R. OSTEN SACKEN. Failure to emerge of Actias luna: CAROLINE Anleitung zur Mikrochemischen Analyse. H. G. SOULE. Entomological Notes. JOURNAL OF GEOLOGY, FEB.-MARCH. Sedimentary Measurement of Cretaceous Time: G. K. GILBERT. Use of the Aneroid Barometer in Geological Surveying: C. W. ROLFE. A Petrographical Sketch of Egina and Methana: BEHRENS. Hamburg und Leipzig, Leopold Voss. 1895. Pp. xi + 224. M. 6. Bildungselemente und Erziehlicher Wert des Chemie. Unterrichts in der RUDOLPH ARENDO. Hamburg und Leipzig, Leopold Voss. 1895. Pp. 103. M. 2. Le Petrole. A. JACCARD. Paris, Felix Alcan. 1895. Pp. xii + 292. 1.5 SCIENCE. EDITORIAL COMMITTEE: S. NEWCOMB, Mathematics; R. S. WOODWARD, Mechanics; E. C. PICKERING, As- J. S. BILLINGS, Hygiene; J. MCKEEN CATTELL, Psychology; Professor C. Abbe, Gen. Henry L. Abbot, The papers entered to be read were as follows: 1. On Some Variations in the Genus Encope: A. AGASSIZ and W. McM. WOODWORTH. 2. Notes on the Florida Reef: A. AGASSIZ. 3. The Progress of the Publications on the Expedition of 1891 of the U. S. Fish Commission Steamer Albatross,' Lieut. Commander Z. L. Tanner, commanding: A. AGASSIZ. 4. On Soil Bacteria: M. P. RAVENEL. (Introduced by J. S. BILLINGS.) 5. A. Linkage Showing the Laws of the Refrac- Agassiz; Treasurer, Dr. John S. Billings; tion of Light: A. M. MAYER. additional members of the Council, Prof. 6. On the Color Relations of the Atoms, Ions George J. Brush, Prof. George L. Goodale, and Molecules: M. CAREY LEA. 7. Mechanical Interpretations of the Variations of Latitude: R. S. WOODWARD. (Introduced by S. C. CHANDLER.) 8. On a New Determination of the NutationConstant, and some allied topics: S. C. CHANDLER. 9. On the Secular Motion of a Free Magnetic Needle: L. A. BAUER. (Introduced by C. ABBE.) 10. On the Composition of Expired Air, and Its Effect Upon Animal Life: J. S. BILLINGS. 11. Systematic Catalogue of European Fishes: TH. GILL. Dr. B. A. Gould, Prof. O. C. Marsh, Prof. The new members elected were Prof. W. L. Elkin, professor of astronomy in Yale Observatory; Prof. C. S. Sargent, professor of botany in Harvard University; Dr. W. H. Welch, professor of pathology in Johns Hopkins University, and Prof. C. O. Whitman, professor of biology in the University of Chicago. The foreign associates elected were Prof. Rudolph Leuckart, professor of zoology in the University of Leipsic ; Prof. Julius von Sachs, professor of botany in the University of Würtzburg, and Prof. Sophus 12. The Extinct Cetacea of North America: E. Lie, professor of mathematics in the UniD. COPE. 13. On the Application of a Percentage Method in the Study of the Distribution of Oceanic Fishes. A. Definition of Eleven Faunas and Two Sub-faunas of Deep Sea Fishes. B. The Relationships and Origin of the Carribeo-Mexican and Mediterranean Subfaunas: G. BROWN GOODE. versity of Leipsic. The Barnard Medal was awarded to Lord Rayleigh for his discovery of argon, and the Watson Medal to Professor S. C. Chandler for his researches on the variation of latitude and other subjects. The autumn meeting of the Academy will be held at Philadelphia, beginning Oc 14. On the Two Isomeric Chlorides of Ortho- tober 29. sulpho-benzoic Acid: IRA REMSEN. 15. On Some Compounds Containing two Halogen Atoms in Combination with Nitrogen: IRA REMSEN. 16. Presentation of the Watson Medal to Mr. Seth C. Chandler, for his Researches on the Variation of Latitudes, on Variable Stars, and for his other works in Astronomy. 17. Biographical Memoir of Dr. Lewis M. Rutherfurd: B. A. GOULD. 18. Relation of Jupiter's Orbit to the Mean Plane of Four Hundred and One Minor Planet Orbits: H. A. NEWTON. ARTHUR CAYLEY. How Professor Cayley touched everything mathematical, and touched nothing which he did not adorn, may be illustrated by the following unpublished letters, which were the first expression of discoveries that have since taken their permanent place in our best text-books. They are both the outcome of the sudden and fruitful interest in linkage, dating from Sylvester's interview with Tchébychev, when, leaving behind him the diagram of the now celebrated Peaucellier's 19. Orbit of Miss Mitchell's Comet, 1847, VI: Cell, the illustrious Russian gave in parting H. A. NEWTON. The officers elected were as follows: President, Prof. Wolcott Gibbs; Vice-president, Gen. F. A. Walker; Home Secretary, Prof. Asaph Hall; Foreign Secretary, Prof. A. the characteristic advice: "Take to kinematics; it will repay you; it is more fecund than geometry; it adds a fourth dimension to space." I will transcribe the letters exactly, not |