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J U N E 16, 1893.1 SCIENCE. 335

they seem smaller, and since distant objects also seem smaller, Spout from Lake Virginia, and carried westward by the strong they will seem more distant. wind that was blowing a t the time. The distance from the lake

There are two objections to this explanation. 1. The accom- to the place where they fell is about a mile. modation is for the distance of the real object, as is proved by THOMASR. BAKER. the distinctness. Why, then, should the object seem farther? 2. Again, distant objects seem smaller only because their retinal AMONG THE PUBLISHERS. images are smaller; but this is not SO in the case under considpra- MACMILLAN & co hare pllblishecl a t,rief biography of the tion. late English anatomist, William Kitchen Parker, written by his

In justification of his view, Mr. Hostwick says that "in monoc- T. ~ ~ f ~t begins n,ith ~ ~an account~ of his birth parker. f ular vision an object appears distant or near according as the eye and early life on his father's farm, and then of his schooling and is fixed respectively on something nearer than it or his apprenticeship, first to an apothecary and afterwards to a beyond it." I am familiar with the fact here referred but in surgeon. Withhis strong inclination for biological studies, it was this case the appearance of greater or less dbtanceis so natural that he should choose as his p r ~ f e s ~ i ~ ~ ; but i t that it can hardly be called estimate. It may farther Or is evident, as indeed his biographer admits, that he had no great nearer almost a t will. I t is a matter of fancy$ cer- love for his profession and only moderate success in the practice. tainty of rational judgment. In fact, there is no ground for form- of it His prime interests in life, apart from his family, were ing any judgment. two things not often found in conjunction a t the present day,

Although Mr. Bostwick speaks of his estimate of the distance science and Wesleyan religion; and he seems to have been equally of the phantom as "distinct." yet I cannot hut think that, devoted to both and to have found no incongruity between the want of complete dissociation of the axial and focal adjustments two. In biology he was largely self-taught) but a few discern- the image is not quite sharp; and that, if he got the same ing friends saw that he was capable of important original work, realistic image which I get, he would see the distance as I see it. and assisted him in the prosecution of such work. He became a Of course, there is no disputing about how things seem to d i f f e r member of the Zo610gical Society and afterwards a fellow of the ent observers any more than there is about tastes; but neverthe- Royal Society; but the position tbat proved the most useful to less, there are some things which are and reducible him was the Hunterian professorship of anatomy and physiology intelligible law, and some not. Mr. Bostwick's case may be ab- in the Royal College of Surgeons, because it not only gave h im normal, but I think probably the opportunity to lecture on his fevorite,subjects, but also added binocular phenomena are. He will, I am sure, pardon me to his otherwise moderate iacome. His principal scientific work, thinking that with more practice in experiments of this kind he his researches on the skull, is described a t some length in this will come to see things as others see them. book, and there are briefer notices of his other studies and a bibli-

LECONTE. ography of all his published works. His principal fault as a sci- Berkeley, Cal., May 27. entific writer, his son thinks, was his complicated style; his

topics being arranged in a disorderly way and his sentencesA Rain of Fishes. hastily constructed. Yet biologists will doubtless echo the

DURINGa recent thunder-storm a t Winter Park, Fla., a number words of the Royal Society that he was "an unworldly seeker of fish fell with the rain. They were sunfish from two to four after truth . . . whose beneficent influence will ever be felt in inches long. It is supposed that they mere taken up by a water- a wide-spreading and advancing science."

Exchanges. Wants. [F reeo fcha rge t o all , if ofsatisfactorycharacter.

Address N. D. C. Hodges, 874 Broadway, New York.1 ANTED. -Second-hand copy of Ehrenberg'sW Radiolana,. . Berlin. 1875. Selected diatom F o r sale.-Wheatstone Bridge wire, made t o slides, cash or-both in exchbnge. D. C. Lewis, M.D.

order new and unused. Price, $10. W. A. Kobbe, Skaneateles, h. Y. ~ o r t ~ s s --Nonroe, Va.

Fo r sale o r exchange.-One latest complete edi- tion of Watt 's Dictionary of Chemistry, in fa i r con- ANTED, as principal of a flourishing technical

For Brain-Workers, the Weak and dition; one th i r ty volume almost (9th) Will sell W who will jientieman of education and experi-Britannica, edition new, of Allen's ence schooi, a be c&pe,ble Of supervising both me-chanioal and common school instruction. SpecialDebilitated. cheap fo r cash or will exchange fo r physical or familiarity with some technical branch desirablechemical apparatus. Address Prof. W. 8. Leaven- Address, g!vingage, qualifications J B. ~ ~~ t ~ , , 1worth, Ripon College, Ripon, Wis. inpdale. Fifty-ninth s t ree t and ~ h ' i r d ave'nue, N. Y.H~rsford 'sAcid Phosphate ~ ~ o h a n g e . - o n e celestial, one terrestrial globe, - - --

one lunate t t i s and charts, celestial maps, diagrams

is without exception the Best and ephemeris from 1830 t o 1893 sstronomioal WANTED.-A young man as assistant in our works, a11 in good condition. Will s h l cheap o r ex- microscopical department. Queen $ CO., chan e. Nake offer. C. H. Van Dorn, 79 Nassau Philadelphia.Remedy for relieving Mental st.,$ 0 ~~ o r k .

The Rev. A. c. Waghorn% New Harbor, New- and Nervous Exhaustion ; and foundland, wishes t o sell collections of Newfound- HE ulldersi ned desires specimens of ~ ~ ~T American %aliime in the flesh for the study of land and La~~~p"~~,","s;,"l',"&~S~o",~,"~f,",",",","~their pterylosis. These species are especially de- where the 'ystern has labr la brad or coast, f rom the middle of July

s i r e d Coli?%zas ?idg?cn!ii o j ~ t o n y z nzo?ltezunane, a , , a ~ y a P u s ~ n i a ~ ~ ~ i a j o ~ s w i i a i l i , t l J nlpn.iLUCILUS

debilitated by disease, it acts as October. "din '"turn needed aid to- rwpMn a n d npdinorotor pirrrsia?zellus. Any persons wards (Episcopal) Church purposes in t ha t region 11 : : i i #IF:: l,.,,l!, )li;. *lfl.l i~~; : . r * -which they are willing will be glad t o be of service t o any botanists: whd ;., I,,;, 1 1 t i I,,, #.;I II 8 1 i , l :! 1 1 ) ::pecimens of any of t he a general tonic and vitalizer, may write t o him'. Let ters posted in t he U. S. UP above are t o communicate with ~ ~ bt o July 1 will r e a ~ h him a t the above address, and Lyman Clark, 5922 Fif th Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa. affording sustenance to both if posted la ter will be forwarded.

Fo r sale.-J. D. Dana's Report on Crustacea of brain and body. the U. S. Exploring Expedition under Charles r CONPETENT TEACHER of botany in college

Wilkes. Text and plates well bound in three vol- tl or university i s open t o engagement. Address utnes half morocco $75. Samuel Henshaw Bos- L., Box 86, Rochester, Mich.

philadelphia, pa, , ton &cietr of Natullal History, Boston, &[as2 3. C, ~ i l ~ ~ ~ ~ ,For exchange-I mewish t o exchange cabinet skins AN any one i l ~ f o r n ~ as t o the age to which

says: " I have used it as a general tonic, of Californian birds or mammals for any book on C cats have lived? I have one twenty years old

a n d in particular in t h e debility and good order. Manual of Vertebrates, fifth edition Edward D. Webb. 182 T.Eighty-first Sh., New york' the following list, books if second-hand to be in

U. S. .Jordan; Nests and Eggs of North ~merlcax; dyspepsia of overworked men, with Sat- Birds Oliver D a v i e Marine Mammals of the West !ANTED - Second-hand. Foster's Physiology

North C. Sosmmon; The \b BBsour's Comparative Eznbryology Coas4 of Aherioa &I. Claus $isfactory results." United Sta tes and ~ e x i c a ; Boundary Survey, Vol. Sedgwiok's Zoology Flower's Osteolo y 'of Nam-- II., Zoology, S. F. Baird. F. Stephens,Witoh Creek, malia. Vine's ~ h y s i b l o ~ ~ #leaseof Plants. s t a t e Descriptive pamphlet free. San Diego Co., Cal. editions and prices asked and address Richard

Minerals for exchange-John Holl. Rollo, Vi l - Lees Brampton, Ontario, Canada Rumford Chemical \Vorks. Providence, R. I. mington, Delaware.

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- For sale or exchange.-Johnson's Universal Cyclo- GRADUATE ENGINEER will give instruction,piedia, 8 vols., ed. 1888. Binding, half-morocco. A evenings in geometry, trigonometry and sur.Beware of Substitutes and Imitations. cash O r exchange veying, mechanics, physics, mechanical drawingtypewriter. Address W. J. &xcKom, Mason, Mioh. and general engineerlug Five I have 500 microscopic slides t o exchange in lo ts experience in field and editorial work on engineer.

t o suit . Want Kodak, first-class fleld-glass or ing journal. References furnished. C. S. H., 10% scientific books. A. C. Gruhlke, Waterloo, Ind. Tribune Building, New York.