and the want of proof or probability that they represented with any accuracy the proportion of gluten present or the comparative nutritive value of the preparations. Besides, the relative value of the various foods, thus determined, did not correspond with the previous results of clinical experience, some foods of well proved value being classed as spurious, and others being apparently overrated. Dr. J. G. Richardson has recently published a note denying wholly the conclusions of Dr. Cutter's paper, and calling attention to the well known fact that fine flour from which the "gluten cells" have been removed, still contains from seven to twelve per cent. of gluten.

REMOVAL.-A. & A. F. Spitzli, dealers in microscopes and optical goods, have removed to the Hall Building, Troy, N. Y., where they have increased facilities for filling orders by mail for microscopical supplies of every kind.

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SCIENTIFIC NEWS.

- In January last, at the suggestion of Professor C. E. Munroe, a post-graduate course in natural history was inaugurated by the detailing of six midshipmen to duty at the National Museum as assistants to Professor Baird, by whom they were assigned to the care of the different curators. The suggestion of Professor Munroe was made opérative through the earnest efforts of Rear Admiral C. R. P. Rodgers and the active coöperation of Commodore John Walker, and it met with the hearty approval of the Hon. Seeretary of the Navy. Although at first Professor Baird feared that the plan might fail, owing to the detailing of unsuitable men, still he was willing to give it a trial and permit them to come. It is a pleasure to say that now, after some months' trial, the midshipmen ordered have pursued their studies with such diligence and application, and have performed the duties assigned them so intelligently and faithfully, that the course meets with his entire approval. Professor Munroe calls attention to the fact that it is not intended, and, in fact, it is quite impossible in the time assigned, to make scientific experts, yet it is hoped to make broader men, and, consequently, better officers of these midshipmen, while they are still employed in rendering services of great usefulness to the Government, at a time when they can best be spared from their regular duties. It is believed, too, that in the time assigned they may gain enough acquaintance with the subject to enable them to observe and record the natural phenomena with which they may meet while in the regular pursuit of their profession.

- Dr. C. A. White, paleontologist of the Smithsonian Institution, left July 1st for Glendire, Montana, on the Northern Pacific R. R., to spend three months in paleontological research. Professor Cope is en route for Oregon on a similar errand. Mr. S. H. Scudder spent the month of June in Colorado, collecting fossil

insects at Florissante in order to perfect his forthcoming work on fossil insects for one of Professor Hayden's final reports. Professor E. S. Morse is now in Japan, en route for China, India and Europe, to return the coming winter. Professor R. E. Call is making an extended collecting trip in the Southern States for our rarer mollusks; when last heard from he was at Rome, Ga. Mr. W. A. Stearns has chartered a vessel and takes a party to the Labrador coast for scientific observations.

- Nature has been publishing a series of articles by different writers, the first, on Darwin as a geologist, by Professor A. Geikie; others on his zoological and psychological works, by Mr. Romanes, while his contributions to botany will be discussed by Mr. Thistleton Dyer. A biography of the great naturalist is to be prepared by his son, Mr. Francis Darwin, who desires the loan of his letters, to be copied and returned. A Darwin fund also is to be raised, the proceeds of which will be devoted to the advancement of biological science.

The tenth annual report of the Zoological Society of Philadelphia, shows that this young society is in a flourishing condition. 34.949 more people visited the garden the past year than the preceding; the number of members is 815, and the gate receipts for the year was $243,427. The menagerie contains 297 mammals, 343 birds, and 37 reptiles and batrachians. A bathing pond for the elephants, and an aviary are among the new improvements. The number of animals which breed in confinement is increasing.

George W. Hawes, curator of mineralogy, etc., of the National Museum in Washington, died at Colorado Springs in June last, in the 33d year of his age. Dr. Hawes was born in Marion, Ind., of New England parentage, and was educated at Yale Colege, also studying abroad and receiving the degree of doctor in philosophy from the University at Bonn. He was among the most enthusiastic of our lithological students, and his untimely death will be a severe loss to American science.

Measurements of the winter movement of a large glacier in North Greenland (the Fjord of Jacobshavn), have been recently made by Herr Hammer, and the summer observations of Herr Helland on the same glacier in 1875 can be compared with them. The velocity is much the same, apparently, in summer and in winter; about fifty feet in twenty-four hours may be taken to represent the rate in the middle of the glacier, where it is greatest.

- At a meeting of the Appalachian Mountain Club, held June 14, 1882, in Boston, a paper by Mr. John Tatlock, Jr., of Williamstown, entitled "Variation of barometric measurements of altitude with the season," and one by Professor J. W. Chickering, of Washington, entitled "Roan mountain notes," were read.

-A society for the "Advancement of Literature and Science in the Dominion of Canada," has been instituted in Canada under the auspices of the Marquis of Lorne. The assembly of scientists at Ottawa, May 25, 26 and 27, included the most notable men of science in the British Provinces. Among the foundation members present were Professor L. W. Bailey and Mr. Matthews, of New Brunswick. Dr. J. W. Dawson is the president.

- A large lacustrine canoe, in excellent condition, has been found near Bex, 4000 feet above the sea-level, and nearly 3000 feet above the valley of the Rhone. No lacustrine relics, says Nature, have ever before been met with in Switzerland at such an elevation.

-The fifty-second annual meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, will be held in Southampton, August 23d. The president-elect is C. W. Siemens.

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The eleventh meeting of the French Association will occur at Rochelle, beginning August 24th.

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PROCEEDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES.

AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, Jan. 6, 1882.-The death of Dr. Isaac Israel Hayes, the well-known explorer, on Dec. 17, 1881, was announced.

Feb. 3.-A paper upon the "Inclination of the apparent to the true Horizon, and the errors arising thereof in the Transit, Altitude, and Azimuth Observations," by Professor J. Hagen, was submitted for the proceedings.

Feb. 17.-Dr. Britton exhibited some peats and lignites of Arkansas, also some anthracites and bituminous coals from the same State, showing the progress of the formation of coals.

March 3-Professor Cope read a paper entitled "On the Structure of some Eocene Carniverous Mammals," illustrating his subject by the exhibition of various fossil remains.

March 17.-Professor Sadtler read a paper by Professor Edgar F. Smith and Mr. Thomas, on corundum and wavellite from localities before unknown to mineralogists, about six to eight miles from Allentown.

Mr. Phillips made a communication in reference to the new Dictionary of the English language, now preparing under the auspices of the Philological Society.

THE PHILADEDPHIA ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES, Feb. 21. -The deaths of Dr. J. W. Draper and Theo. Schwann, corresponding members, and of Dr. Bridges, were announced.

Feb. 28.-Dr. Leidy exhibited a beautiful collection of tourmaline crystals, and a variety of asbestos, known as "mountain leather," from the Hot Springs of Arkansas. This latter mineral contained at times flattened quartz crystals, and he asked if the

asbestos could be supposed to influence the crystallization of the quartz.

Dr. Koening stated his belief that the coloring matter of tourmaline is entirely organic, and Dr. Leidy confirmed the belief from his experience of its destruction by heat.

Professor Heilprin remarked upon the erosion of their western banks by streams flowing from the poles to the equator, and of their eastern banks by streams flowing in the reverse direction. This was caused by the earth's rotation, but he suggested that for the same reason streams flowing from east to west ought to have a slower motion than those moving from west to east.

Dr. Parker recorded an anomaly in the common extensor tendon of the fore-limbs of a porcupine. The middle digit was unsupplied, the tendinous slip belonging to it being sent to the fourth digit, which was thus furnished with two slips.

March 7.-Mr. Meehan spoke of the difference in time between the ripening of the male and female flowers of the silver maple. Most of the male flowers on weak shoots open a week or two earlier than the female, leaving the work of fertilization to be performed by the few male flowers which, being on stronger branches, expanded the same time with the female.

Dr. Leidy called attention to the occurrence of Balanoglossus at Atlantic City. He believed this worm to be near to the Nemerteans. He also praised the excellence of soup made from Solen ensis. Dr. Leidy also stated that he had found Scolithus in pebbles of Potsdam sandstone from near Philadelphia.

Professor Lewis exhibited a large pebble showing glacial

grooves.

March 16.-Dr. Horn spoke of the impalement of grasshoppers upon the echinocacti in Arizona by the action of shrikes or butcher-birds.

Mr. Ryder stated that the green color of oysters was not due to salts of copper, but probably to chlorophyll, so that green oysters were perfectly fit for food, as he had proved himself.

The president stated that enough copper to color an oyster would certainly kill it. The green color might be the zoospores of Ulva latissima.

Professor Heilprin drew attention to the occurrence of an ammonite in situ in pieces of rock from the Tejon group of California. As all the other fossils in this group were Tertiary, the existence of a tertiary ammonite was thus proved.

BOSTON SOCIETY OF NATURAL HISTORY. General Meeting, May 17.—Mr. T. T. Bouvé made some remarks on gems and on the story told by certain sands; Professor H. W. Haynes gave some new evidence of cannibalism among the Indians of New England, from the island of Mt. Desert, Maine; the president described another strange type of Carboniferous Myriapods; and Mr. S. Garman said a few words on the dormant period of sharks.

METHODS OF MICROSCOPICAL RESEARCH IN THE ZOOLOGICAL STATION IN NAPLES.

BY C. O. WHITMAN.

IN the preparation of this paper Dr. Mayer has allowed me to

make free use of his excellent article,' published about two years ago. I have added the methods of Dr. Giesbrecht, Dr. Andres and some others who have worked in the zoological station. Dr. Mayer has further placed at my disposal such improvements and alterations as he has been able to make since the publication of his paper. I am also deeply indebted to Dr. Mayer for advice and generous assistance, for which I wish here to give expression to my most sincere thanks and grateful appreciation. I am still further indebted to Dr. Eisig, Dr. Lang, Dr. Andres, Dr. Giesbrecht, Professor Weismann and Professor Dohrn, all of whom I have had occasion to consult with reference to matter contained in this paper.

I. PRESERVATIVE FLUIDS.

Killing, hardening and preserving are three kinds of work, requiring for their accomplishment sometimes only a single preservative fluid, but in most cases two, three or even more. As the same fluid often does the work of killing and hardening, and sometimes of preserving too, it is impossible to divide them into three classes corresponding to the kinds of work, except by repeating many of them twice, and some of them three times. While it is therefore more convenient to include them all under preservative fluids," as Dr. Mayer has done, it is none the less 'Mayer.

Mittheilungen aus der Zoologischen Station zu Neapel." Vol. II, p. 1, 1880. A summary of this paper by Geo. Brook was published in the NATURALIST, June-Oct., 1881.