Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-05-25
SCIENCE.

Qy is to be established at the UNIVERSE
" of Cambridge in England. The lit
eral meaning of morphology is the SCI
ence of form, and there is of course a
morphology of plants as we'll as of ami
mails; indeed the term was first applied
to that department of botany which
treats of the forms assumed by the
different organs of plants and the laws
that regulate their changes. 1t is now
also applied TO the similar department
of zoology. The new chair will prob
ably be offered to Mr.. NJ. F. Balfour,
F. r. s., who has achieved high rep
utation as teacher of science and an
original investigator in physiology.
Although only little over thirty years
of age, he enjoys the distinction of be
ing member Of the Council of the
Royal Society," high honor for so
young man.
A novel suggestion appears in the
French Journal of Practical Agricult-
ure, which wants its readers to test
the quality of the seeds they are about
to plant by new method. The seeds
should be placed upon shovel, with
some live Goals. If the process of
combustion is slow, the seeds are de-
fective in terminating qualities; if, on
the other hand, they snap and burn
quickly they are of the right sort. But
even the best of seeds, after being thus
tested, would not be worth much.
Such trials may be of value, however.
to indicate what proportion of a given
lot will probably grow; as, for exam
pie, if five out of ten seeds burned rap
idly, we might well assume that half
of the lot from which they were taken
would terminate when planted.
Referring to an article on the medi-
co-physiological features of Guiteau's
personality the Lancet says: "It is re-
markable for the singular circumstance
that the author, DIR. Allan McLane
Hamilton, seems to claim the fact that
the head of the assassin reveals no
special symmetry as evidence of his
sanity, whereas asymmetry is we'll
known to be one of the cOmmOnest
characteristics of heads of the best
and most intellectual type. It would
be difficult, probably, to find a head be.
longing to any man of mark or pre- EN-
inence in science or literature which
was not asymmetric." The word asym-
metric Laeans simply not symmetrical"
Prof. o. G. Marsh, of Yale College.
has just published (Silliman's Journal,
April, 1882 description of the wings
of those curious fossil flying reptiles
known as the Pterodactyles. He at
temptS the restoration of a species
whose remains were discovered in Ba-
varia nine years ago, in a remarkably
perfect state of preservation. The re.
sulting picture is that of somewhat
bat-like creature, but with very bird
like head, and long tail supporting
separate vertical membrane, which the
author supposes was employed as
rudder in flight. The jaw is long and
il represented as being well provided
with teeth.
A Society for the Promotion of Ex-
cavations in the Delta of the Nile has
been formed in London under very
promising religious and scientific aus
pices. Among those who have approved
its scheme of exploration are the arch
bishop of Canterbury, Professor Hulk
ley, Sir John Lubbock, Professor Max
Muller, and Mr.. Richard A. Proctor.
Nan Association for the Advancement
of Medicine by Research is to be found
ed in England. The undertaking has
the approval and support of represen-
tative medical men in London. 1t will
be interesting to see what attitude the
Jealous opponents of experiments upon
living animals will assume toward this
enterprise.
The diamonds of South Africa are
characterized for the most part bv
double refraction, and hence show ex-
ceedingly brilliant colors when placed
in polarized light. When taken from
the mines these gems are peculiarly
liable to break up by splitting spon-
taneously.
Mineral oil has been substituted for
vegetable oil (colza) as the lubricating
material for the machinery on the rail-
ways of Alsace-Lorraine and Bavaria.
The results are just as good and the
cost is less than one half as much.
The attention of the Paris academy
OF Sciences has been called to the fact
that the Sardine is disappearing from
the coast of Brittany.