codon, etc., we find that the degree of advance displayed by these forms is not so very great and that it does not involve any very long lapse of time. The radical difference between the two faunas consists in the ordinal groups which are present in one and not in the other. Thus the Puerco has neither artiodactyls, perissodactyls nor rodents, while the Wasatch has no Multituberculata and relatively few Condylarthra, and the creodonts of the two formations belong, for the most part, to quite different types. The obvious significance of these facts is that at some time between the Puerco and the Wasatch a great migration of mammals from some other region took place and revolutionized the character of the North American fauna.

A distinction that is likely to be fruitful of important results is Osborn's division of the placental mammals into the Mesoplacentalia, of early and more or less Mesozoic type, and the Cenoplacentalia, characteristic of later Tertiary and recent time. "The difference between these two groups consists mainly in the lower state of evolution and apparent incapacity for higher development exhibited by the Mesoplacentals, in contrast with the capacity for rapid development shown by the Cenoplacentals." It can hardly be right, however, to include the creodonts in the lower group, since they not only underwent a great expansion in the Puerco, but in later times they also gave rise, by independent development along at least three lines, to the true Carnivora. Such a group cannot be fairly charged with 'incapacity for higher development.'

This necessarily brief review cannot do more than indicate the many points of unusual interest in this paper, and must refer to the original those who would learn more of it.

PRINCETON COLLEGE.

W. B. SCOTT.

The Ornithology of Illinois; Descriptive Catalogue. By ROBERT RIDGWAY. Published by authority of the State Legislature. Vol. II. May, 1895. Large 8°, pp. 282, pls. 33.

Ridgway's Ornithology of Illinois has a curious history. It was conceived by the able Director of the Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History, Prof. S. A. Forbes, who twelve years ago asked the leading American ornithologist to undertake its preparation. Mr. Ridgway finished the manuscript early in July, 1885. The first volume was finally printed, but the entire edition, together with the plates and cuts, was destroyed by fire. This was in February, 1887. It was reprinted from proof sheets, and proof of the reprint was not submitted to the author. It was issued in November, 1889.

By a singular fatality, the manuscript of the second volume was consumed in the same fire; and, excepting proof of the first 90 pages, which was preserved, the entire book had to be rewritten. This formidable and disheartening task was accomplished in 1891, and the printed book has just been received (May 7, 1895).

The original plan contemplated two distinct parts: Part I., Descriptive Catalogue, by Robert Ridgway; Part II., Economic Ornithology, by S. A. Forbes. The present volume completes the Descriptive Catalogue, and it is earnestly hoped that the volume on Economic Ornithology will follow; though the labor of preparing such a work is too great to be accomplished in a single lifetime or by a single man.

The first volume is prefaced by an introduction of 35 pages, treating of the physical features of the State, the climate, and characteristic features of the avifauna, and ending with a bibliography. The systematicpart begins with a key to the higher groups, which are arranged in the old style, the Thrushes coming first. The orders, fami

6

lies and genera are defined, as well as the species. Some of the descriptions are original, but most of them are quoted from 'Baird, Brewer and Ridgway's History of North American Birds', and its continuation, the Water Birds of North America,' for which work, as everyone knows, they were originally written by Mr. Ridgway. The general matter is not very full and is frequently quoted from the same work. Unfortunately about two-thirds of the biographical part was omitted because of the necessity of limiting the number of pages. There are numerous quotations from Mr. E. W. Nelson's papers on the birds of Illinois, and a few personal observations by the author, chiefly relating to the Austroriparian fauna of the extreme southern part of the State, where he has done much field work, extending over a long period of years. A novel feature is a synonomy of popular names, given under each species.

The first volume covers 520 pages and is illustrated by 32 plates; the second volume covers 282 pages and has 33 plates. Nearly all the plates in both volumes are from Baird, Brewer and Ridgway, and Ridgway's Manual. Most of those in the second volume were made originally for this work, but owing to delay in publication were first used in the Manual.' The great majority are outline figures of heads, wings and feet; but some are shaded cuts of birds. Owing to the destruction of the electros, part of these are process reproductions made from proofs and are poorly printed. The frontisThe frontispiece is a beautiful colored picture of a Meadowlark in full song, drawn by the author, and of unusual excellence.

In faunal works relating to particular areas it is customary to record somewhat in detail the manner of occurrence of each species, to indicate breeding ranges, time of nesting, dates of migration and so on. Very little information of this kind is to be found in the Ornithology of Illinois. The

work consists mainly of technical descriptions and synonymy, to which is added, under each species, a paragraph or two of general matter which as a rule, excepting the quotations from Nelson, is hardly more pertinent to the State of Illinois than to any other part of America where the bird

occurs.

Of 49 species classed by Mr. Ridgway as rare, detailed records of occurrence within the State are given for 36.

Mr. Ridgway states that the intent of the book was "to supply the people of Illinois with an inexpensive work which would enable them to identify the birds they desired to learn the names of, and to acquaint them with their leading characteristics." These primary aims the work certainly has fulfilled. C. H. M.

Tests of Glow-Lamps: W. E. AYRTON and E. A. MEDLEY. The Philosophical Magazine, May, 1895.

Readers of SCIENCE who are interested in the matter of electric lighting from a practical standpoint will find much that is instructive in this paper recently printed in the Philosophical Magazine and published as a separate. For several years Professor Ayrton has been investigating the question of the economy of incandescent lighting and and especially the behaviour of the glowlamp under continuous use. Some of the earlier results of this investigation have been announced from time to time in the English journals, having been communicated by Professor Ayrton to the Physical Society of London. The present pamphlet contains some additions made in January, 1895, and from these additions it appears that the results previously obtained have not been entirely supported by subsequent tests. The principal result reached in these tests was the rather unexpected fact that the glow-lamps examined appeared to increase in effectiveness during the first 80 or

100 hours of their use. It had been very generally assumed that a glow-lamp was at its best, under fixed conditions of pressure, at the very beginning of its life and that it would deteriorate from that time on. The authors of this paper appear to have found, however, that this is not the case and that, on the contrary, the light is increased from the beginning through a certain considerable part of the life of the lamp, after which it slowly fails. One form in which this conclusion is put is that if a group of glow-lamps, such as were examined in this case, being the EdisonSwan Lamps, marked 100-8 and run at a pressure of 100 volts, be kept continuously in operation by putting in a new lamp of the same character whenever a filament breaks, and never replacing the lamps by new except for a broken filament, the light given out by the group will never be as small as at the beginning. Some reference is made to the probable cause of the rise in candle power by use, and the explanation given a year or two ago by Mr. Howell, at a meeting of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, i. e., that such a rise in candle power is due to an improvement of the vacuum of the lamp during the early part of its life, is commented upon. Some of the earlier examinations of the increase in candle power and improvement in vacuum by the authors of this paper seem decidedly to confirm this explanation by Mr. Howell; but subsequent tests, referred to in the addition to the paper made in January, 1895, are not so favorable to that hypothesis. The authors suggest that the rise in candle power may possibly have been due to a change in the surface of the filament causing the emissivity for heat to decrease, since that would raise the light emitted, as well as the number of candles per watt; but they declare that they have not yet discovered whether such change in heat-emissivity takes place. The methods of carrying on

the investigation, both electric and photometric, are explained in sufficient detail, and the whole is a valuable contribution to the subject. T. C. M.

NOTES AND NEWS.

ENTOMOLOGY.

Dr. T. A. CHAPMAN has been publishing in the Entomologists' Record of London, and has now completed, a paper of no great length but of much importance, on the classification of butterflies, based on the structure of the pupæ, and a comparison of the same with the pupa of the lower lepidopterous families. He places special emphasis on two points hitherto entirely neglected: The relative freedom of motion of

the middle joints of the abdomen, and the relation of the parts on the head on dehis

cence.

His conclusions are that the Papilionidæ (excluding the Pierina) are the nearest relatives of the Hesperida (which agrees with all latest researches), but further that the Lycænids "should no longer be regarded as in any way intermediate between the Papilionids and Nymphalids; rather should the Lemoniidæ and Lycænidæ be regarded as a branch which developed from the primæval butterfly (above the Hesperids) in one direction, whilst the Papilionids arose and branched to the Pierids and Nymphalids quite independently. Another point is that the Pierid separated from the Papilionid at a very early stage of the evolution of the latter, and that the Nymphalid almost immediately thereafter separated from the Pierid." These conclusions are borne out by many facts in the structure of the other stages and especially render the position of the Libytheinæ less anomalous.

BRUNNER VON WATTENWYL has just published his Monographie der Pseudophylliden, the last large group of Orthoptera that has specially needed monographic treat

ment. The group is essentially a tropical one, unknown in Europe and with only one species (as recognized by Brunner) in the United States our true Katydid. Others will doubtless be found upon our southern borders, for in Mexico, Central America and the Antilles Brunner recognizes 34 genera and 73 species, the larger part of them new. The work, which is published in Vienna in 8°, contains descriptions of 434 species, divided among 122 genera, and is accompanied by a quarto atlas of ten plates.

A NEW QUADRUPLE EXPANSION ENGINE.

MESSRS. HALL AND TREAT announce, in the Sibley Journal of Engineering for April, 'A New Quadruple Expansion Engine.' This machine, built for regular working at 500 pounds pressure, and with its boiler, tested to 1300 pounds, has now been in operation in Sibley College, at Cornell University, for many months. It was designed by the authors of the paper, built by them in the shops of the College, and has since been tested under a great variety of conditions. The design was entirely original, although, of course, embodying the principles taught them in their college course, the one being a graduate of '93 and the other of '94, and both now candidates for advanced degrees, the one for a doctor's, the other for the master's, degree in engineering. The valvegear is new and the invention of the builders of the engine. The proportions of the multiple-cylinder system are those derived by application of their text-book and lecture-room work; and the engine as a whole is a success. The boiler has worked well and economically up to above 600 pounds per square-inch, and its waste heat is utilized in the re-heating apparatus of the engine and so thoroughly as to make the temperature of the chimney very low. The steel for running parts' was obtained from the Bethlehem Iron Company and proves to be of very fine quality. Special devices

have been required, in every direction, to make the operation of the machine with such high-pressure steam satisfactory and safe. Even the injector was necessarily reconstructed, as no ordinary instrument would force water into the boiler against 600 pounds pressure. The figures reported for economy are something under ten pounds of steam per h. p. per hour, and the best conditions of operation are not yet fully identified, though unquestionably corresponding closely with the preliminary computations of the designers. This figure is the lowest yet reported, even for engines of many times the size of that here described. It will require authoritative revision and corroboration; but there seems no reason to doubt its substantial accuracy, as the result of many engine-trials under a great variety of conditions. If thus corroborated, it will stand as the 'record of the world for the nineteenth century. The thermodynamic consumption of this engine should be about 7 pounds of steam per h. p. per hour, exclusive of all thermal wastes, and this should be approximated much more closely in engines of similar type built on a large scale. The figure attained is extraordinary, and almost incredible, for a model engine such as is described; yet it indicates a waste, by conduction and radiation, after all, of no less than twenty-five per cent. of all heat sent to the machine from its boiler.

PAPERS FOR THE MATHEMATICAL CONGRESS

AT KAZÁN.

On the occasion of the dedication of the Lobachevski monument at Kazán will be held a mathematical congress of a week's duration.

It is very much desired by the management that some papers may be contributed by Americans. As a complete program of the scientific communications to be made in the session will be issued this coming February, it is not too early to solicit Ameri

can scientists to think of preparing something for this memorable occasion. Dr. G. B. Halsted has been asked by President Vasiliev to act for him in this matter, to correspond on questions of detail with any who hope to attend the Congress in person, to take charge of the communications of those who do not anticipate being present and to guarantee their proper presentation.

THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY.

THE annual award of the honours of the Royal Geographical Society was made on May 14th, as follows: The Founders' medal to Dr. John Murray for his services to physical geography, and especially to oceanography during the last 23 years, and for his work on board the Challenger and as director of the Challenger Commission and editor of the Challenger publications since the death of Sir Wyville Thomson in 1882; the Patrons' medal to the Hon. George Curzon, M. P., (1) for his work on the history, geography, archæology, and politics of Persia, (2) for his subsequent journeys in French Indo-China, which have resulted in further publications of geographical as well as political and general value, and (3) for his journeys in 1894 to the Hindu Kush, the Pamirs and the Oxus, together with his visit to the Ameer of Afghanistan in Kabul; the Murchison grant was awarded to Mr. Eivind Astrup for his remarkable journey with Lieutenant Peary across the interior glacier to the northern shores of Greenland, and for his independent journey along the shores of Melville Bay, during which he laid down a portion of the northern part only previously seen at a great distance; the Back grant was awarded to Captain C. A. Larsen for the geographical and meteorological observations made by him during his Antarctic voyage in 1894; the Gill memorial was awarded to Captain J. W. Pringle, R.

E., for his share in the railway survey operations carried on under the direction of Captain Macdonald, R. E., in the country between the coast from Mombasa to the Victoria Lake; the Cuthbert Peek grant was awarded to Mr. G. F. Scott-Elliot for his explorations of Mount Ruwenzori and the region to the west of the Victoria Nyanza.— London Times.

THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY.

THE National Geographic Society of Washington held its annual business meeting on May 31. Reports from the various officers bore witness to the increasing usefulness of the Society. When it was first organized, in 1888, there were but 205 members. Since then there has been a steady increase, the membership now numbering 1,193. A similar increase may be noticed in the number of public lectures. delivered; sixty-two lectures having been given during the past winter, while in the winter of 1890 there were but eighteen.

Mr. Gardner G. Hubbard was reëlected President and Lieut. Everett Hayden Recording Secretary, and the following were elected Vice-Presidents: C. W. Dabney, Jr., Assistant Secretary of Agriculture; H. G. Ogden, Coast and Geodetic Survey; Gen. A. W. Greely, Chief Signal Service; C. Hart Merriam, Agricultural Department; W. W. Rockhill, Assistant Secretary of State, and Henry Gannet, Chief Topographer United States Geological Survey; Board of Managers, Marcus Baker, United States Geological Survey; G. K. Gilbert, Chief Geographer, United States Geological Survey; John Hyde, Statistical Expert, Agricultural Department; Prof. W J McGee, Bureau of Ethnology; F. H. Newell, Chief Hydrographer, United States Geological Survey; Prof. W. B. Powell and John R. Proctor; Treasurer, C. J. Bell; Recording Secretary, Everett Hayden; Corresponding Secretary, Miss E. R. Scidmore.