terior Cenozoic were referred back to the Sub-committees making them," but not for any changes, except such as the "Reporters might make. I was not aware in January that such votes had passed, nor that any of the reports were beyond amendment, and learned of it first through a letter from the Secretary in. March. Major Powell addressed a communication on the subject, dated March 27th, to Professor Hall, protesting against such a ruling, and in opposition to other actions of the Committee, and at the same time resigned his connection with it. For like reasons, I did not attend the April meeting.

Finally, at the April meeting, it was voted that no copies of the published report should be delivered before September 17th, or in other words that the printed report with its final additions should be kept from the members of the Committee until the day of meeting of the Congress in London. And so it was: on the 17th, punctually, the first copies reached me in New Haven.

Under such partisan management, the conclusions in the printed reports of the several Sub-committees were not likely to represent fairly American geological opinions. It is true that in connection with each of them a large display is made of the names of the members of the Sub-committees, and of all of them in each case, as if they were alike, responsible for the contents, and as if the members had met, at least once, and consulted together, read the last emendations and signed the document. But in this it gives a very wrong impression. My name is on two of the Subcommittees, but has no right to a place on either, although I gave assent to the request; for I was informed of no meeting of the Sub-committee for consultation, and joined in none, and gave my signature to nothing except the letters which I, like many others not of the Committees, wrote in answer to questions. In fact, as above shown, changes after the January meeting were made impossible except by the Reporter. I received a proof of the report on the Lower Paleozoic, but returned it without any words of approval and only a few on the Taconic question. Further, this report, as finally published, contains what was not in that proof; it is decidedly the report of the Reporter, who had been made the "final judge of the manner in which communications received should be used," not the Committee's report; and the same is true in some other cases. The views of Mr. C. D. Walcott are unfairly presented with great injustice to him, although he stands as an associate member of the Sub-committee, responsible as much as the rest for its Report.

Five hundred copies of the Report of the American Committee were published. It is now in the hands of the Secretary of the London meeting of the Congress, awaiting a second publication as if the expression of the views of the majority of American geologists. Its right to appear in the volume of Proceedings of the Congress for 1888 should be seriously considered if it is not already too late.

J. D. D.

3. On the Volcanic Phenomena of the Eruption of Krakatoa, and on the nature and distribution of the Volcanic Materials; by J. W. JUDD, F.R.S., Pres. Geol. Soc. 56 pp. 4to, with 6 plates. From the Report of the Royal Society Commission.-The great eruption of Krakatoa, its results, and the character of its ejected materials, are here ably discussed by Professor Judd, with illustrating plates, maps, and wood-cuts. After sketching the earlier history of the volcano, the author comes to the precursor events of the eruption of 1883, which began May 20th, and then to the culmination in the paroxysmal eruption of August 26th and 27th. Views and maps show the changes that took place at the time in the island and in the seas about it. The cone of Krakatoa was left between 2,000 and 3,000 feet high, and the crater more than 1,000 feet deep.

Professor Judd's explanation of the eruption is this: that the interruption of the regular escape of vapors and ejections that was consequent on the chilling of the surface of the liquid lava by inrushes of sea-water caused a check and then a rally of the pentup force of gases seeking escape; that the catastrophic outburst was a direct consequence of this "check and rally" of the subterranean forces.

The rocks of the cone and the ejected materials are described in detail, and illustrated by microscopic sections. The rock about the crater is enstatite-dacite or enstatite-andesite. There are also black porphyritic pitchstones. The small cone of Rakata, at the base of Krakatoa, consists of basaltic lavas, which are in part chrysolitic. The formation of the ejected pumice from the pitchstone, on which the author had previously thrown much light, is the subject of further remarks and explanations. He speaks of the glass as being in a state of strain, as is proved by its depolarizing light, and this is mentioned as the cause of its extreme brittleness, in consequence of which it easily crumbles to the finest dust. The rocks are shown to have varied much in liquidity, although having little difference in mineral constitution; and this is attributed to the amount of water they contain. Professor Judd further observes that with water present and therefore a low fusion point, there is less chance of devitrification in a liquid lava; whereas without water and a consequent high fusion point, crystallization of minerals or lapidification is likely to take place in the mass as cooling makes progress; and thus from lavas of the same constitution, under the one difference of amount of water, rocks of very unlike aspect may result.

4. Microscopical Physiography of the Rock-making Minerals and aid to the microscopical study of rocks, by H. ROSENBUSCH. Translated and abridged for use in schools and colleges by Joseph P. IDDINGS. 333 pp. 8vo, with 26 plates of microphotographs, New York, 1888. (John Wiley & Sons). The thanks of our English-speaking students of Petrography are due to Mr. Iddings for the excellent manner in which he has presented to them the work of Prof. Rosenbusch. The value of this work is much too

well known to make it need commendation here, and the English form that it has now taken is all the more serviceable because of the wise abridgment which it has received, while all that is essential has been retained. The translation is faithful and accurate but sometimes follows the German idiom more closely than is necessary. We may now hope to have instruction in this subject extended among a much larger number of students than has hitherto been possible. The publishers deserve praise for the good appearance which the volume presents and especially for their enterprise in securing copies of the beautiful plates which form so important a part of the German work.

5. Phenacite in New England, by GEO. F. KUNZ. (Communicated).In the September number of this Journal, page 222, the finding of phenacite and topaz near Stoneham, Me., is announced; the locality should have been on Bald Mountain, North Chatham, N. H. Both towns are on the Maine and New Hampshire state line, hence the error now corrected. Another pocket has been found, so that in all over fifty crystals of phenacite and topaz have been procured.

III. BOTANY.

1. Color-granules in flowers and fruits.-With the improved optical appliances and better staining agents employed in recent years the coloring matters of plants have received renewed attention. The last contribution on the subject is a paper by COURCHET, [Ann. Sc. nat. sér. VII, pp. 263-374, pl. 6] which confirms certain statements made, with some hesitation, in a review published in this Journal during the current year. Courchet's work appears to have been conducted in a careful manner under the supervision of Flahault at Montpelier, and with abundant mate

It is therefore satisfactory to note that it strengthens in all essential particulars the position taken by Schimper, to which reference will soon be made. In view of the importance and the general interest of the subject, it seems proper to give an account of the additions which Courchet has made to our knowledge, and to re-examine briefly the whole matter.

The earlier investigators made out clearly that the coloring substances in leaves, flowers and fruits were of the following kinds: (1) colored cell-sap; (2) protoplasmic bodies or colorgranules, containing pigments of various kinds; (3) crystals; (4) pseudo-crystalline forms and amorphous masses. Attempts were made by Unger (1846), Mohl (1851), Trécul (1858), and Weiss (1864), to determine the morphology of these structures, but with comparatively little success. Trécul described the facts with accuracy, and for the most part with clearness, but he gave an undue degree of prominence to his theory of vesicular formations, thus diminishing the value of his work. Weiss stated that the color granules appeared to arise in two ways, (1) by free formation from the general mass of protoplasm, and (2) by the

modification of chlorophyll-granules. In 1872 Kraus added some observations regarding ordinary spindle-shaped forms, and stated that they appeared to come from the breaking down of the protein color-granules, but this view was opposed by the fact that these bodies occur even in some very young parts. Millardet (1876) by an examination of the coloring matters in the fruit of the tomato, made out some of the relations existing in many cases between chlorophyll-grains and color-granules. It was shown by him that these could change into one another under certain circumstances, and that they possibly had a common origin. This link was partly supplied in 1880, by Schimper, who announced the discovery in certain cells containing starch, of colorless granules, which had the function of collecting from the nutrient cellsap the materials for the construction of starch grains. These bodies were termed by him starch-formers. After pointing out their occurrence and indicating the precautions necessary for their detection, he hints that they have close relations to the other living proteid granules in the vegetable cell. Soon after this, several investigators took the subject up, notably Meyer, while Schimper himself made a most important advance. This step consisted in coördinating all the granular living proteid granules, holding that color-granules and chlorophyll-granules are derived from the colorless granules found in the cells at the growing points of plants. For these bodies the common appellation of plastids or plasts was proposed, with the distinctive prefixes, leuco, chloro, and chromo-. About this time, or a little betore, Van Tieghem suggested the term leucites for the same thing. Although Schimper's terms have been generally adopted, Courchet prefers Van Tieghem's. Schimper teaches that these plasts arise from pre-existing plasts, and that they assume the special form of leucoplasts, chloroplasts, or chromoplasts, according to the office of the part and the conditions under which they are developed. The morphological interest attaching to the organs of a plant is greatly heightened, when it is seen that in the cells themselves which constitute them, there are adaptations not merely in form but in the granular differentiations of the living matter. Just as a foliar expansion can be turned to account by the plant in many different ways, as a foliage-leaf, as a tendril, as a fly-trap, as a thorn, or as a pitcher, so can these simple proteid granules undergo modifications adapting them to the most diverse kinds of work. From the point of view of evolution the subject is of great importance, clearing up some serious difficulties in the way of explaining the adaptation of colors in flowers and fruits to the visits of insects and of birds. The diversified shapes of foliar and floral organs have been rather easier to understand than the marvellous range of useful colors in these parts of the plant, but it is now apparent that all of them may arise from the very simplest starting point common to all.

In all important features, Courchet confirms Schimper's views, and they may be considered as in the main firmly established.

The matter is one of those, which, like the continuity of protoplasm throughout the plant, commands from its coördinating power general acceptance, and should therefore be most carefully examined and reëxamined to ensure complete accuracy of details. Courchet's special results may be briefly stated as follows:Chromoplasts are always formed at the expense of chloroplasts or leucoplasts and can give rise at their periphery to crystals or crystalloids. The pigment is produced in many ways, and assumes very diverse characters. The form of the pigment masses is not related to the color, but depends upon its chemical constitution and the matters with which they are combined. Blue, violet and rose tints are generally due to colored cell-sap, although blue pigments are sometimes in the form of crystals or granules which have no relation to the plastids. The orange tints are chiefly due to crystals, or solid masses, and the same is true of most of the yellow tints. Chromoplasts always have a protein stroma combined with the pigment, which latter may be in such fine particles as to give an homogeneous appearance to the whole. The pigment may crystallize out of the granule, and present an appearance as if it is quite independent of it, and it may assume the most diversified shapes. The pigment may, under certain conditions, behave exactly like coloring matters found in other parts of the plant, but whether these matters are produced from the green pigment of the chloroplasts or from derivatives.built up in those granules it is, as yet, impossible to determine. It is easy, however, to distinguish two types of coloring matters in the plastids: (1) yellow, always amorphous, much more soluble in alcohol than in chloroform and ether, turning blue with concentrated sulphuric acid, taking on an intermediate green tinge; (2) orange, more soluble in ether and chloroform than in alcohol, turning blue with concentrated sulphuric acid, taking on first a violet-red or violet tinge.

Coloring matters in cell-sap do not as a rule turn blue under the action of concentrated sulphuric acid.

G. L. G.

IV. MISCELLANEOUS SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE.

1. Note on the work of the American Eclipse Expedition to Japan, 1887; by DAVID P. TODD, Astronomer in charge.-In my preliminary report it was stated that the volunteer observers, working under instructions prepared by me and printed and distributed through the cooperation of the Japanese government,. had been moderately successful. Just how successful, it was not possible to ascertain before leaving Japan. But within a few weeks, I have received through our Department of State, a largeMS. volume of about seventy drawings of the corona. These are now in process of discussion on a novel system, and are likely to make a trusty contribution to optical coronagraphy.

Also, through the same channel, came a valuable series of observations of the simple duration of total eclipse, at points just.