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excellent means for finding what topics German schools of the various classes actually teach, and how much they teach of each topic to pupils of any given age. The accuracy of the pamphlet is vouched for by competent authority; and the whole may be warmly commended to every one who is engaged in the study of problems connected with elementary education. The general reader, also, will be interested in the suggestions that he can get at a glance from these tables concerning the character of German elementary education. Quotation is, on the whole, hardly possible where a book le already a model of condensation, and we shall not attempt It. But let no one pretend hereafter to pass judgment on the work of German schools without using the elementary facts as they are here presented.

—The Anthropological society of Washington has adopted the plan of so arranging its programme as to devote an entire evening to a single subject, or to subjects closely related. This adds much to the interest of meetings. The place of meeting in Columbian university building is convenient, and the attendance has lately been larger than ever before in the history of the society. On Jan. 20 In the annual election of officers.

—Sir William Thomson's lectures on molecular dynamics are now ready for delivery to subscribers. An edition of three hundred copies has been printed, and of these only seventy-five remain for sale. The volume contains three hundred and thirty-six pages in all. Sir William Thomason has sent, since his return to Europe, several pages of additional matter, which is given with the lectures. An Index and bibliographical note have also been added.

—In a speech before the African conference at Berlin last November, Mr. Stanley, according to Le mouvement goraphique, said, "The Kongo is, with one exception, the greatest river in the world, with the most extensive valley. No region, either equatorial or tropical, can rival it in fertility. There are great empires of natives, and republics, such as Uganda, Ruanda, Unyoro; a country of broad plains for the grazing of cattle, as the Masal Land. There are numerous deposits of gold and silver, and rich mines of copper and of iron. There are beautiful forests which produce woods of an inestimable value, India-rubber in inexhaustible quantities, gums, and precious spices. There pepper and coffee are grown. There are tribes susceptible of appreciating the advantages of civilization, provided they are protected against the attacks of brigands and the ambuscade of the slave-trader. In my opinion, these facts are sufficient to justify my proposition to define, by means of the easily ascertained limits I have proposed, the frontiers of the free commercial territory of equatorial Africa, and to guarantee the freest possible access as well from the east as from the west."

—The advice to explore the highh peaks and little-known parts of the Caucasus, given to experienced Alpine travellers in the early part of the year, by D. W. Freshfield, in the Alpine journal, has already borne some fruit. The well-known Hungarian mountaineer, Moritz v. Déchey, was the first on the ground. On the 24th of July, he, in company with two Bwiss guldes, made the first ascent of the 15,500-feet-high peak of Adni Choch, after overcoming great dificul- ties. On the 23d of August followed the scent of the biggest western peak of the Elbrus, which had been previously accomplished but once.—by Grove in 1874. During the journey, which led from the Arden valley, over the high passes of the Elbrus, photographs and measures of elevation, which have hitherto been entirely wanting from the central Caucasus, were taken.

—Dr. Brieger of Berlin has made a special study of the ptomaines; i.e., the chemical poisons resulting from the action of bacteria upon animal sustances. By digestion of albuminous bodies in gastric juice, he obtained a toxic substance, to which he has given the name peptotoxin. From putrid flesh he obtained two bodies,—one a diamin of the composition ${\displaystyle {\ce {C7H14N2}}}$, a body which he calls neuridin, which, when pure, is devoid of toxic aciton; and, as the second product, neurin, a substance with decided polsonous properties, antagonized by atropin. By the putrefaction of fish-desh, another diamin was discov. ered, ethylendiamin,—Failed to parse (syntax error): {\displaystyle \ce{C2H4{NH2)2H2O,}} —powerful poison; also muscarin, and a body which Brieger provislonally calls gadinin <chem>(C2H12NO2)<chem>. It is interesting to note that the character of the ptomalusa formed, depends somewhat upon the character of the material used: thus, Deurin is found only in the putrefaction of flesh; while muscarin, ethylendlaunin, gadinin, and triethylamin are specific products of fish putrefaction, and dimethylamin of geletin putrefaction. His work also indicates that the ptomaines should be divided into the poisonous and non-poisnous.

—The Journal of the Society for psychical research for November (for circulation among members only) contains an interesting account of Professor Barrett's visit to America, and the steps which led to the formation of an American society of similar name. Professors Bowditch, Fullerton, Stanley Hall, James, Carvill Lewis, and Pickering have been chosen corresponding members of the London society.

—Among recent deaths we note the following: Hermann Kolbe, professor of chemistry at Leipzig, Nov. 26, at the age of sixty-six ; Dr. Helnrich Bodinus, director of the Berlin zoological gardens, at Berlin, Nov. 28, at the age of seventy-one; Dr. Karl von Vierordt, at Tübingen, Nov. 29, at the age of sixty-seven; Henri Lortique; A. W. Thionemann at Zangenberg, Nov. 5, at the age of fifty-four; Alfred Brehm, at Renthendorf, Nov. 11, at the age of fifty-five; Professor Edmund Tömösvary, at Deva, Aug. 18; Charles Tulasne, at Hyères, Aug. 21, at the age of sixty-eight; Richard Townsend, professor of mathematics at Dublin university; Arthur Henninger, chemist, at Paris, in November; Dr. Thomas Wright, at Cheltenham, Nov. 17; Dr. W. von Wittich of the University of Konigsberg, Nov. 21; Henry Lawrence Eustis, professor of engineering at Cambridge, Mass., Jan. 11, in his sixty-sixth year.