RECENT BOOKS AND PAMPHLETS. ALLEN, J. A.-Note on Macrogeomys cherriei (Allen). Extr. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., Vol. VIII, 1896. Alleged Changes of Color in the Feathers of Birds without Moulting. Extr. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., Vol. VIII, 1896. From the author. BANGS, O.—The Florida Deer. Extr. Proceeds. Biol. Soc. Washington, Feb., 1896. Notes on the Synonomy of the North American Mink, with Description of a new Subspecies. Extr. Proceeds. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., Vol. 27, 1896. From the author. BAUR, G.-Cope on the Temporal Part of the Skull, and on the Systematic Position of the Mosasauridae-a reply. Extr. Amer. Nat. 1895, p. 998. -The Paroccipital of the Squamata and the Affinities of the Mosasauridae once more-a rejoinder to Prof. Cope. Extr. Amer. Nat., 1896, p. 143. -Nachtrag zu meiner Nutteilung über die Morphologie des Unterkiefers der Reptilien. Aus Anat. Anz., XI Bd., 1896. -Das Gebiss von Sphenodon (Hatteria) und einige Bemerkungen über Prof. Rud. Burckhardt's Arbeit über das Gebiss der Sauropsiden, 1. c., XI, Bd., 1895. From the author. BROWNE, M.-Artistic and Scientific Taxidermy and Modeling. London, 1896, Adam and Charles Black, Pub. From Macmillan and Co. BUTLER, G. W.-On the Complete or Partial Suppression of the Right Lung in the Amphisbaenidae, and of the Left Lung in Snakes and Snake-like Lizards and Amphibians. Extr. Proceeds. Zool. Soc. London, Nov. 19, 1895. From the author. CALVERT, P. P.-Notes on the Odonata from East Africa, collected by the Chanler Expedition. Extr. Proceeds. U. S. Natl. Mus, Vol. XVIII, 1895. From the Museum. CAMPBELL, D. H.-The Structure and Development of the Mosses and Ferns. London and New York, 1895 From Macmillan and Co., Pub. CHITTENDEN, F. H.-Two New Species of Beetles of the Tenebrionid genus Echocerus. Extr. U. S. Natl. Mus., Vol. XVIII, 1895. From the Mus. CLARK, W. B.-Certain Climatic Features of Maryland. Extr. Meteorol. Journ., Jan., 1894. -Origin and Classification of the Green sands of New Jersey. Extr. Journ. Geol.. Vol. II, 1894. -Cretaceous Deposits of the Northern Half of the Atlantic Coastal Plain. 6, 1894. -The Potomac River Section of the Middle Atlantic Coast Eocene. Extr. Amer. Journ. Sci., May, 1896. From the author. CONN, H. W.-Bacteria in the Dairy. Sept., 1895. From the author. Extr. Storr's Agric. Exper. Station COOK, O. F.-East African Diplopoda of the Suborder Polydesmoidea, collected by W. A. Chanler. -An Arrangement of the Geophilidae, a Family of Chilopoda. -Priodesmus, a New Genus of Diplopoda from Surinam. -Two New Diplopod Miriapoda of the Genus Oxydesmus from the Congo. Extrs. Proceeds. U. S. Natl. Mus., Vol. XVIII,.1895. From the Museum. COPE, E. D.-A Batrachian Armadillo. Extr. Amer. Nat., 1895, p. 998. DAWSON, WM.-On Collections of Tertiary Plants from the Vicinity of the City of Vancouver. Extr. Trans. Roy. Soc. Canada (2), 1895-96, Vol. I. From the author. DEPERET, M. C.-Observations à propos de la note sur la nomenclature des terrains sedimentaires par M. M. Munier-Chalmas et de Lapparent. Extr. C. R. Soc. Geol. de France, Feb, 1895. -Sur l'existence de Dinosauriens, Sauropodes et Théropodes dans le Crétacé supérieur de Madagascar. Extr. Comptes Rendus, 1896. -Résultates des fouilles paléontologiques dans le miocène supérieur de la colline de Montredon. -Sur les phosphorites quaternaires de la région d'Uzès. Rendus, 1895. From the author. Extrs. Comptes DURAND, J. P.-Les origines animales de l'homme, éclairees par la physiologie et l'anatomie comparative. Paris, 1871. From the author. FISH, P. A.—The Use of Formalin in Neurology. Extr. Proceeds. Microscop. Soc., Vol. XVII, 1896. -The Action of Strong Currents of Electricity upon Nerve Cells. From the author. L. c. GIARD, A.-La direction des recherches biologiques en France et la conversion de M. Yoes Delage. Extr. Bull. Scientif. de la France t. XXVII, 1896, From the author. HOLM, T.-Fourth List of Additions to the Flora of Washington, D. C. Extr. Proceeds. Biol. Soc. Washington, Feb., 1896. HOWARD, L. O.-The Grass and Grain Joint-worm Flies and their Allies. Techn. Series No. 2, U. S. Dept. Agric. Div. Entomol., Washington, 1896. From the Dept. HOWARD, L. O. AND C. L. MARLATT.-A Full Account of the San Jose Scale, its Life History, its Occurrence in the United States and the Remedies to be used against it. Bull. No. 3 (n. s.) U. S. Dept. Agric. Div. Entomol. Washington, 1896. From the Dept. JACKSON, R. Studies of Paleëchinoidea. 7, 1896. Extr. Bull. Geol. Soc. Amer., Vol. JACKSON, R. AND T. A. JAGGAR, JR.-Studies of Melonites multiporus. Extr. Bull. Geol. Soc. Amer., Vol. 7, 1896. KENDALL.-Description of a New Species of Pipe-fish (Siphostoma scovelli) from Corpus Christi, Texas. Extr. Proceeds. U. S. Natl. Mus, Vol. XVIII, 1895. LODEMAN, E. G.-The Spraying of Plants. New York and London, 1896. From Macmillan and Co., Pub. MARCOU, J.-Life, Letters and Works of Louis Agassiz. Vols. I & II. New York, 1896. From McMillian and Co., Pub. MARSH, O. C.—Address before the National Academy of Sciences, April 19, 1895. From the Sec. of the Society. Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. VII. 1895. Washington, MERRILL, G. P.-Notes on Asbestos and Abesti form Minerals. Extr. Proceeds. U. S. Natl. Mus., Vol. XVIII, 1895. From the Museum. Report of the Commissioner of Education for the year 1892-93. Vol. I. Washington, 1895. Report of the National Academy of Sciences for 1895. Washington, 1896. RIDGWAY, R.-Preliminary Description of Some New Birds from the Galapagos Archipelago. Extr. Proceeds. U. S. Natl. Mus., Vol. XVIII, 1895. RUSSIAN GEOLOGICAL SURVEY.-Materialien zur Geologie Russlands, Bd. XVII. St. Petersburg, 1895. From the Soc. Imp. Mineralogique. Bibliothèque Geologique de la Russie 1894. St. Petersburg, 1895. Supplement to T. XIV, Bull. Comite Geol. -Bulletins du Comite Geologique. St. Petersburg, XIII. Nos. 8, 9; XIV, Nos. 1-5, 1895. The Geol. Surv. of Russia. -Memoirs de Comite Geologique. Vol. IX, No. 4, 1895; Vol. X, Nos. 3 and 4, 1895; Vol. XIV, Nos. 1 and 3, 1895. From the Geol. Surv. of Russia. SMITH, E. F.-The Watermelon Wilt and other Diseases due to Fusarium. -The Southern Tomato Blight. Extrs. Amer. Asso. Adv. Sci,, Vol. XLIV, 1895. From the author. General Notes. MINERALOGY AND CRYSTALLOGRAPHY.1 Development of Faces on Crystals.-Gaubert' makes a contribution to the subject of the growth of crystal faces by means of his experiments with the alums. An octahedron of chrome alum, on solution in its mother liquor, is rounded at its edges and angles. When the solution becomes again saturated, and the crystal begins to grow, faces of the forms (100), (110), (211) and (221) are developed, but disappear on continued growth, leaving finally only the octahedron (111). Experiments with crystals of chrome and potassium alum prove that the same faces are developed when the rounding is done mechanically instead of by solution. Potassium alum from pure water gives the form of octahedron and cube, but by rounding (211) and (221) may be caused to grow. 1 Edited by Prof. A. C. Gill, Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. 2 Bull. Soc. Fr. Min., XVIII, pp. 141-143, 1895. Crystals of lead nitrate and of barium nitrate also develop transitory faces when rounded, returning to the original form of cubo-octahedron on continued growth. Miers has observed the formation of the face (221) by the extremely slow solution of the potassium alum crystals. Hence, it seems that these "transitory planes" may be formed either by corrosion or by growth of a rounded crystal. Albite from Lakous, Island of Crete.-Viola,3 by his paper on the new occurrence of albite at Lakous, adds another to the list of carefully investigated pure chemical substances. An analysis by Mattirolo, given at the end of the article, shows close agreement with the theoretical values for Na Al Si,O, as may be seen from the following: Measurements on twelve crystals, varying from 7 to 20 mm. in diameter, agree very well in giving as crystallographic constants: = 94° 14' 30", 116° 31'45",7 88° 5' 1", and ă: b: c.635:1:.557. B The extinction angle measured against the trace 001 in a section cut parallel to 010 is 21° 30′, in the section 001 it is 3° 30'. The optical angle is approximately +80°. Inclusions of a member of the chlorite group are found in a number of the crystals, and some small scales of hematite in others. Forsterite from Monte Somma.-The specimens seem to be of unusual chemical purity, hence the data given by Arzruni' on the the basis of investigations by himself, Jolles and Thaddéeff are doubtless near the true values for pure Mg, SiO,. The axial ratio is found to be a b: c.46663: 1:.58677. Cleavage parallel to 010, distinct. In addition to the previously observed method of twinning, the plane 031 is reported as a twinning plane. : Tscherm. Mitth., XV, pp. 135–158, 1895. 4 Zeitschr. f. Kryst., XXV, pp. 471-476. The plane of the optical axes is the base, and the optical angle is 85° 38' for lithium, 85° 45' for sodium, and 85° 56′ for the thallium. light. The ratios RO: SiO, are 2.018:1 and 2.01:1 respectively, after deduction for probable impurities. Fayalite and the Chrysolite-Fayalite Group.-Penfield and Forbes found the fayalite from Rockport, Mass., suitable for optical and other investigations. The mineral was found in the shape of a lenticular shell in massive hornblende-biotite granite. The color is a dark resinous green, though the light transmitted by the thin edges is yellowish. The purified powder has a specific gravity of 4.318 (average of 3 determinations). The average of the two analyses is: The cleavages are 001 and 010, and the reported occurrence of a cleavage 100 is considered a mistake. The plane of the optical axes is the base, and the double refraction is negative. For sodium light. =1.8236, ẞ= 1.8642, 71.8736, giving -.050. 7The macro-axis is the acute bisectrix, Vy 25° 18'. A specimen of hortonolite from Monroe, N. Y., was also investigated. The table given below exhibits at a glance the effect of the iron on the optical characters of the chrysolite-fayalite group : 5 Am. Jour. Sci., CLI, pp. 129-135, Feb., 1896. |