Scientific Serials

Abstract

American Journal of Science and Arts, February.—The first article is an obituary notice of Sir W. E. Logan, lead before the Natural History Society of Montreal last October.—Mr. W. B. Taylor contributes a continuation of his history of recent researches in sound.—Mr. A. H. Rowland continues his studies on magnetic distribution, in which he critically examines M. Jamin's recent work.—On the rifts of ice in the rocks near the summit of Mount McClellan, Colorado, and on the different limits of vegetation on adjoining summits in the territory, by Edward L. Berthond. Mount McClellan is 13,430 feet high, and contains mines which are extensively woiked. At a height of 13,100 feet, and about 30 feet from the entrance of the tunnel of one of the mines, were three or four veins of solid ice, parallel with the bedding of the rock, and filling all its inner side with cracks and fissures. In another tunnel 300 feet westward and about 100 feet from the entrance, veins of ice were also met with. It has been suggested that this ice has remained ever since the Glacial period. The mountain presents these two strange antagonistic phenomena in immediate proximity. On one side ol the valley there is a mountain slope facing north-east, well grassed, totally devoid of shrubs and trees, where the rocky débris are underlain by a perpetual icy coat hundreds of feet in depth, supporting on its surface a growth of plants strictly Alpine and Arctic, and abounding with Ptarmigan, Lagopus leucurus, and the tail-less, earless marmot. A list of plants found bloom Oct. 2, 1875, is given. Less than half a mile distant on the opposite slope of the vale Pinus aristata of large size and a profuse growth of birches, willows, grasses, and arbutus abound.—On a new form of lantern galvanometer, by Francis E. Nipher, which possesses the advantages of being adaptable to any vertical lantern; the distance between the deflecting coils is readily varied and can be adjusted to currents of various intensity; the resistance of the galvanometer is quickly varied from one half to twice the resistance of the galvanometer coils.—On the occurrence of tartronic acid, with some remarks on the molecular structure of glyceric acid, by S. P. Sadder. A comparison is made of two views taken of glyceric acid, and It is suggested that there are two isomeric acids, one of which is normal and the other an unsym-metrical acid.—On the “chloride formation” on the western border of the New Haven region, by J. D. Dana.—A new Tertiary lake basin, by G. B. Grinnell and E. S. Dana, During recent explorations a new series of Tertiary deposits has been found at Camp Baker, Montana; they indicate the existence in this region of a Miocene lake basin, which was succeeded by another lake basin in Pliocene time.—The remaining papers are: The product of the action of potassium on ethyl succinate, by Ira Remsen.-The action of ozone on carbon monoxide, by the same.—The appendix contains an article on the Dinocerata, by O. C. Marsh, with five plates.