The Washington times., 1901-09-02
With The SCIENTISTS.

estiny fossil remains. Pikermi is near
the Marathon road. about twelve miles
from Athens. Considerable exploratory
work has been done prior to the present
expedition's excavations. Prof Albert
Saudry. tie French geologist worked In
these piioceue deposits In the early 5as.
Later the Vienna Academy made a ccllec-
tion from the same place and In isSs the
Duke of Orleans did some digging but
found little of Importance Among the
forty-seven cases of fossils recently
shipped from the Pikcrmi excavations 10
the British Museum In London are por-
tions OF The skeleton Of huge probosci-
dean. including two femurs each over
thirty-nine inches in length: OF mssoplthe-
Gus. an old-world monkey. several almost
complete maStodon skulls. fragments of
the skeleton OF the great sabre-toothed
tiger machaerodus. innumerable bones OF
hyperion. the three toed predecessor OF
the horse, and bones OF helladotherium. a
short-necked giraffe allied to the okapi.
the mammal recently discovered by Sir
II. Johnston in the forests of the Congo
State. The bones occur on definite hori-
IONS in immense numbers and lie in
soft marly matrix.
George Grey. the commander OF a pros
pecting expedition through northern Rho
desia. sent out by the Tanganyika Conces-
sions Company. reports that the tsetse fly
is much less fatal pest than it used to be.
Although no attempt was made by the
expedition to avoid the fly belts" the
mortality of its stock was very small.
Out OF five horses. two mules. five oxen.
and sixty-seven S.sIkeys. as well as nine
dogs. only two animals fhorses) were GER
tainly killed by the fly" and the total
mortality from all causes was only three
horses and fourteen donkeys. This fact
and native reports tnat the ny no Ion-
ger kills, so that they can now take their
dogs with them on hunting trips with
impuuity has led Mr.. Grey to the belief
that the almost complete extinction OF
the buffalo by rinderpest has robbed the
self was not the cause of its fatality, the
latter being due to a disease germ which
Its bite instilled into the animal bitten:
Possibly this disease is mainly corriileu
to the buffalo. 50 that the disappearance
OF the latter robs the fly" OF its source
of supply The two most popular native
theories regarding the marked decrease in
V .rulence of the fly bite are that 'Mu-
fly or that, since the fly has taken to
biting women. it does not Kill cattle.
In recently published volume, under
the title OF '-England's Neglect of Sci
ence." Prof. Perry of the Royal Society,
voices his dissatisfaction and that Of
many other Engiishmen of science at the
sition which science holds in the educa-
tionaI system of the country. and the
scanty and grudging help which 1t re-
ceives from the Government. While the
English people as a whole appreciate the
supreme claims of science in the modern
world. the English Government depart
ments are not only sadly wanting in
of science, but are quite indif-
ferent to and indeed ignorant of its just
claims against the treasury. The cause OF
this according to Prof Perry Is the pub
lie school. These institutions. some OF
them venerable as TO age. all of them
as to ideas, supply almost ex-
rlusiyely the professional politicians who
control the great departments of the Gov
and in all of them the dominant
ideals are classical and medi-
aval- As Prof. Perry puts it. The most
prominent Englishmen understand almost
nothing of those sciences which are rap
Idly Transforming all the conditions Of
In the course of a paper on Artificial
Cooling of Houses in Gold Storage"
Df. r. Ogden Doremus says. in sub
stance: "Our magnificent cathedrals and
churches and our sumptuous theatres
xouli accomplish vastly more in the
way of piety and pleasure. If they pos
'essed some means for artificially cooling
heir Interior during the summer months.
Irtificially cooled to save human lives
Turing prostrating and often fatal heat.
What an outcry there would be II they
we're not warmed in winter, Why should
lot our homes be made comfortable IN
ummer as well as winter? 1t Is
s unhygienic to live in too hot room
s in one that Is too cold Our elegant
luh edifices should be cooled in summer.
Expensive pictures and decorations adoru
heir walls. Why not devote the money
lstead to promoting the health and com
ort of the members in a more direct
gay?" There are several systems Of
cold which could be readily
ranged for coolirg the air in living
ooms, and It does seem rather surprfs-
ls, as DR.. Doremus says. that there has
cen no general attempt to solve the
roblem-
Writing to the Scientific American"
dgar L. Larkin, director of the Mount
owe Observatory, Cal, reports: ''Encke's
sriodic comet has returned and was well
zen at this, the Mount Lowe Observatory.
t hours 10 minutes this morri ing, Au-
ust II, 1901 1t was then in altitude
ours IS minutes. and in north declina-
on 30 degrees 81 minutes, with rapid mo-
on toward the southeast This comet
as discovered in 1905. and has awakened
reat interest among astronomers owing
a diminution of its periodic time Thus
1905 1t made its circuit in LIP days Il
ours: In 1879. 1.211 days 10 hours "a min
tes; in 1858, 1,2i0 days 13 hours Al min
-es. This was thought to be on account
7 the resistance of a thin medium In
,ace. But other comets were not retard-
/, and since 1865 the retardation OF
ncke's comet is diminishing-so the. ex-
tence of the rare matter in intersteliar
,ace is not demonstrated. The comet
hen seen here rising over the peak of
high mountain was quite white. faint,
fuse and large. with but slight indica-
NJ re n
the shortest known
An interesting paper was recently sub
lifted to the Royal Academy of Belgium
? Dr. E. Vanderlinden, on the atmosphe-
C conditions that accompany fog in that
,untry. The enquiry is based upon an
lamination of some 200 synoptic charts.
lie winter and autumn fogs being stud
d separately from those which occur
summer. The author shows that the
inter foss are mostly connected with
lti-cyclonic conditions, while those of
mmer occur during periods of shallow
secondary barometric depressions- The
inter fogs rarely occur on the west
n side OF an area of high barometric
essure In reporting to the academy
ION the paper, NJ Lancaster points out
at most authors who treat of the ques-
IN of the formation of fog only deal
tn very local areas, In which tempera-
re plays the principal part, but that
Is kind of fog should not be confounded
tn the general phenomenon characters
of winter fogs, which depend upon the
pressure The most favorable
nditions for fog formation are damp
and a temperature little above freez-
: point. These conditions generally oc-
r in winter with westerly Winds and
len the centre of the high-pressure area
S to the southeast of the point of OBJ
walton, but NJ. Lancaster points out
1t the action of temperature alone Is
> Vt,-t1 .T,s,x ~,