all of the fourth declension; visus, auditus, gustus, olfactus, and tactus. Awkward as is any plural form of these words in English, the anatomist has to come to it, and speak of "arcuses, ductuses, and fetuses," or else appear to talk bad Latin, and repeat the singular form.

The mistaking of an unusual gender, such as a Greek masculine of the first declension, or a Greek feminine of the second, is still easier, as here the erroneous form sounds to us right, and the correct form incorrect. It takes a bold man indeed to speak of Erigeron bellidifolius or Plethodon glutinosus, where the masculine form used for the genus looks like a neuter, and it seems to us still more unnatural to say Desmognathus fusca, instead of the (to us) more natural fuscus. Unfortunately this mistake was made at the original naming of this species by Spencer F. Baird in January, 1850, and this initial mistake was followed by several illustrious men, both anatomists and systematists, among others by Wiedersheim (1887), W. K. Parker (1879), Boulenger (1882), and as late as 1909, by Gadow. On the other hand the correct form fusca was used by Cope (1889), by the later systematists, G. M. Allen, Fowler and Dunn, and in the anatomical and embryological writings of Kingsbury, Hilton, Mrs. Seelye, Mrs. Wilder, H. H. Wilder and others. Moore, in describing his new Salamander, Leurognathus marmorata, used the correct feminine form for the specific name, as did also Dunn in his new sub-species of Desmognathus, ochrophaea carolinesis. Since now, practically all the writings of the last decade have corrected the old errors, and restored Desmognathus to its proper gender, it is a great pity that in the new (1917) check list of Reptiles and Amphibians by Stejneger and Barbour, the old erroneous masculine form is brought back again, and we find Desmognathus fuscus in all its shame. And, in addition to this, come all the other Desmognathoe; ochrophaea, quadrimaculata (or, following the original error, quadramaculata), and the sub-species auriculata, all changed, to the masculine like the maiden Coenis of the poet Ovid, ap

pearing in the form of nondescript gynandromorphs! Let us hope that, unlike this changeable person, the species thus transmuted will not become invulnerable.

But, having once, in flat defiance of Homer, Herodotus, and every other Greek writer from Hesiod to Eleutherios Venizelos, changed the grammatical gender of the noun yválos it becomes necessary to change also the specific name of Moore's Leurognathus, which, instead of appearing as Moore originally gave it (1899), as Leurognathus marmorata, is also masculinized as Leurognathus marmoratus.

Still more unfortunate are the mistakes in quoting both Moore and Dunn, the former being quoted as having originally used the form in us, which he did not, and the latter, as having written ochrophaeus carolinesis, whereas he was most careful to use the feminine in -a. Altogether it is a bad mix-up, and being in a check-list, which will be used as an authority for years to come, it may actually foist this glaring solecism upon American herpetologists beyond the power of correction.

Mark Twain, in his rules for improving the German language, suggests the reconstruction of their genders in accordance with the plan of the Creator, as a tribute of respect if nothing else." In the correction of Desmognathus fuscus" we have a chance to show some respect to the Greek language.

66

HARRIS HAWTHORNE WILDER

A MOLLUSCAN GARDEN PEST

In a previous number of SCIENCE1 the writer called attention to the presence of a slug (Agriolimax agrestis Linn.) in gardens which was doing considerable damage to such vegetables as cauliflower, lettuce and potatoes. During the past summer (1917) and early fall this slug has become much more troublesome and in some localities has caused considerable damage.

At Brewerton, N. Y., it was observed eating cabbages and potatoes; in Syracuse it has attacked potatoes, causing a large amount of injury in several fields and gardens. The writer 1 SCIENCE, N. S., Vol. XLIII., p. 136, 1916.

has taken occasion to question several persons who had made gardens in vacant lots and in fields near the city and in all cases the slug was reported to have been present in numbers sufficient to cause appreciable damage. In one garden the slugs had eaten into the tubers to such an extent as to destroy two thirds of the potato. Several slugs were found in a single potato and associated with them were many wire worms (probably larvæ of the beetle Agriotes mancus Say) and sowbugs (isopods). The wire worms have been reported as very abundant in potatoes, both in Syracuse and in Rochester, N. Y. Damage from the slug has been reported from Rochester, Canandaigua and Geneva.

It is evident that this slug is becoming a troublesome pest in garden truck farms and small gardens and a problem arises as to the best means of combating its ravages. It can be controlled when its depredations are confined to the surface plants by spreading fine ashes about the plants, which cause the animal to exhaust itself by the copious flow of mucus, induced by the irritant action of the ashes. But this will not affect those individuals that enter the ground and attack the tuber below the surface. It has been suggested that if the grass surrounding the garden patch be kept short it will prevent the slugs from hiding near the garden during the day, the active time of the species being at night. The placing of boards about the garden will also act as a trap, the slugs retiring beneath these boards during the day when they may be collected and killed.

This slug is one of the commonest snails in western New York. In many parts of Syracuse it is abundant after rains, crawling over the sidewalks, leaving behind it a slimy, glistening trail. Its tendency to adopt the products of the garden for food in place of its natural food indicates that it must be classed among the agencies injurious to farm and garden products.

It may be of interest to note that a related species of slug (Agriolimax campestris Binney) has been observed to eat plant lice

2 F. M. Webster, Bull. 68, Ohio Agric. Exp. Station, pp. 53-54, 1896.

(Phorodon mahaleb Fousc.) in considerable quantity. Under these circumstances it would be placed among beneficial animals. Observations on the natural food of these small slugs would be of interest and value.

FRANK COLLINS BAKER NEW YORK STATE COLLEGE OF FORESTRY, SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY

THE YELLOW CLOTHES MOTH

SINCE my note on the yellow clothes moth was published, I have learned with regret that I overlooked a record of original observations on this species by Professor Glenn W. Herrick, published in 1915, in his "Insects Injurious to the Household." It is a matter of interest that the two accounts agree almost exactly with respect to the details treated in

common.

Professor Herrick had already noted the common distribution of Tineola as compared with Tinea, the number of eggs laid (one individual), the appearance of the egg, the hatching period, the approximate pupal period, and the fact that the first brood for each year must be mainly derived from eggs of the preceding year.

In regard to the latter point, it may be added that, while as already noted, moths may emerge in every month of the year, there are two periods of much greater abundance. The first begins about the end of April in New York City and lasts through June. With the estimated minimum growth stage of ten weeks, it is unlikely that any of this first brood represent eggs of the same year. During the summer, the flying stage was common enough but nothing like that of the preceding months. In late August again and through September there was another period of abundance, the result undoubtedly of the development of the eggs of the first large brood of moths. Figur ing from the whole season it would appear a safe conclusion that the average period of active larval growth is about three months. The actual growth periods, including the winter season, are approximately three and one half months (June-September 15), and eight and one half months (Sept. 15-June).

R. C. BENEDICT

THE AURORA OF MARCH 7

TO THE EDITOR OF SCIENCE: as a matter of record it may be worth while, even at this late date, to note that the aurora of March 7 was seen in Winter Park, Florida (latitude about 28° 37′). It was visible for a short time only, between 9:30 and 10:00, Central Standard time. Those who saw it described the sky as brilliantly red for perhaps forty degrees along the northern horizon, with streamers extending half way to the zenith. FRANK P. WHITMAN

WINTER PARK, FLA., April 5, 1918

SCIENTIFIC BOOKS Principes de Géométrie Analytique. Par GASTON DARBOUX. Gauthier-Villars et Cie 1917. Pp. vi + 517.

This important work has elements of interest extending beyond the circle of the professional mathematicians. It was the last mathematical contribution of one of the most noted French scientists and constituted the subject matter of his last course of lectures at the Sorbonne, closing a very successful teaching career which extended over a period of more than fifty years.

The principles of analytic geometry treated in this work relate mainly to the imaginary and the infinite in algebraic geometry, and hence they are also of great philosophic interest. In his Introduction the author states that these principles are too much neglected at the present time, being usually treated in the elementary courses where they can not be developed with the completeness which they merit and which he is free to give them here. In our American text-books these principles are commonly omitted altogether. Comparatively few students become familiar with such interesting properties as those exhibited, for instance, by the two lines whose equation in rectangular coordinates is x2+ y2=0. Each of these two lines is perpendicular to itself and has the property that the distance between any two of its points corresponding to finite coordinates is zero.

Our students of analytic geometry meet such equations as x2+ y2+1=0, which are not satisfied by the coordinates of any real point. They are usually told that these equations represent imaginary curves, but if they consult some more advanced works; e. g., the Encyclopédie des Sciences Mathématiques tome III., volume 3, page 260, they find that what they commonly called imaginary circles and imaginary ellipses in their courses in analytic geometry are here called real curves. A real curve being one whose equation has real coefficients and hence does not need to contain any real point according to these authorities.

These remarks may serve to exhibit the facts that the imaginary in analytic geometry presents views which are quite different from those obtained by the student who confines himself to the consideration of real points, and that authorities do not agree as regards the definition of a real curve when the degree of the curve exceeds unity. Moreover, it is only necessary to recall the two circular points at infinity, which lie on all the circles of the plane, in order to remind ourselves of the fact that infinity also presents matters of interest which escape those who deal only with the finite region.

The volume under review is divided into five books with the following headings: anharmonic ratio, metric definitions, the theorems of Poncelet, Cayleyan geometry, and inversion. It has much in common with a work published by the same author under the title: "Sur une classe remarquable de courbes et de surfaces," 1872, but it contains many later developments. In particular, the part on Cayleyan geometry was developed by the author, according to the preface, during the

years 1895 and 1896.

The book is not intended for the beginner in analytic geometry but presupposes some knowledge of this subject. Its chief aim seems to be to lay a solid foundation for the study of the imaginary and the infinite in geometry, and to present the subject in an attractive and simple manner with a view

to securing a wider interest in this extensive field. No other man could have brought a wider knowledge or a more skillful hand to this noble task and the accomplished work is a credit to its author and to his country. G. A. MILLER

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

Additional Studies in the Pleistocene at Vero, Florida. Pages 17-82, 141-143, from the Ninth Annual Report of the Florida State Geological Survey, 1917.

The pamphlet, just arrived, comprises five articles of particular interest to anthropologists: one by Professor E. W. Berry, of Johns Hopkins University, on Fossil Plants; one by Dr. R. W. Schufeldt on Fossil Birds; one by Dr. O. P. Hay, of the Carnegie Institution, on Fossil Vertebrates; and a final paper (with a supplement) by Dr. E. H. Sellards, state geologist of Florida, summing up the evidence and the discussion to date with reference to the antiquity of the associated human remains. The three special papers, it should be noted, are concerned mainly with data from stratum No. 3, i. e., the top formation in and at the base of which most of the human remains occur. Of the organic forms found here those either totally or locally extinct are given approximately as follows: mollusks 0 per cent., turtles 50 per cent., birds 33 per cent., mammals 40 per cent., and plants 20 per cent. Dr. Sellards deems this record consistent and after affirming that the exposed Vero section shows "distinct uninterrupted lines of stratification beneath which human materials are found," pens his conclusions in these words: "The human remains and artifacts are contemporaneous with extinct species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and at least one extinct species of plants, as well as with other animal and plant species that do not at the present time extend their range into Florida. The age of the deposits containing these fossils according to the accepted interpretation of faunas and floras is Pleistocene."

The full significance of these remarks is of more than ordinary importance. With the findings of specialists in the fields of geology

and paleo-biology no anthropologist will be disposed readily to take issue; and the writer in particular, having spent only a few hours at Vero, is in no position to challenge directly any of the alleged facts; but he ventures, nevertheless, to offer some remarks having general bearing on the situation as now developed.

In the first place, anthropological literature records a score or more of isolated archeological discoveries (Dr. Hay cites some of them) which, because of attending circumstances, have by some been adjudged proofs of extraordinary human antiquity and which thus lend substantial support to the appearances at

Vero. Many of these discoveries, like the one before us, are of the bona fide sort, requiring no affidavits, and they range from the Tertiary gravels of California to the glacial deposits of New Jersey. Nevertheless, whatever the merits of these data, they have not been generally accepted because their acceptance, in view partly of the known conditions of paleolithic Europe, involved tremendous difficulties in the way of assumptions rather than doing away with them. At the same time it can not be doubted that these very finds have directly inspired many students to the investigation of artificially stratified deposits, both in caverns and elsewhere with a view, if possible, to obtaining supporting evidence that would ultimately result in the credibility of these isolated and questionable discoveries. Now, up to the present time, although this indirect effort has been continued for more than a generation and has ranged geographically from Alaska to Patagonia, nothing satisfactory has come of it. Within the United States alone, both cave and mound deposits have repeatedly been shown to record a considerable range in cultural development, but the associated faunal remains of even the oldest strata have never yielded any but modern species; and this, so far as the published data goes, is true also for the shell mounds of Florida. Under those circumstances no archeologist can be expected to relinquish at once his scepticism concerning the Vero discovery.

In the second place, anthropological investigations go to show that of the fundamental primitive arts, pottery-making, for various obvious reasons, is of relatively late date in culture history, throughout the world. The archeology of the eastern United States seems particularly clear on this point. Thus, it has been demonstrated over and over again that the lower strata of artificial deposits from the Ozark uplift to the Atlantic coast and from lower New York state to Florida are devoid of ceramics. Narrowing the field to the east coast of Florida, we have on record several independent determinations (one by the writer only last spring and not yet published) to the effect that the shellmound people did not at first possess any pottery at all, that after a time they began making a plain dull-reddish earthenware, and that finally, some time before the arrival of European explorers, they took to ornamenting this ware by impressing upon it some simple geometric patterns.

Now pottery fragments, apparently of the undecorated variety, occur also in the Vero deposit, and the archeologist, rather than accepting an extraordinary hiatus in his own data, will be disposed to consider the section in which it was found to be synchronous with the middle period of the local shellmound occupation. To accept the Vero date at its present face value would compel him not only to relegate the development of pottery to an unheard of date but also it would oblige him to assume that this early culture of Pleistocene times was snuffed out and that after some milleniums marked by the arrival of the modern fauna a new and lower type of culture became established which only after a very considerable period reached the level of the original culture. Such a happening is conceivable, but it is not plausible.

So far as the writer can see, the archeologists can do very little more than they have done already toward the solution of the Vero problem. Extended investigation by an archeologist would in all probability yield nothing, because on the real points at issue he would always have to defer to the geologist and the

paleontologist. If we could persuade the paleontologist to satisfy himself about the fauna of the shellheaps something might result. Errors of identification may have been made in the past. If he can close the gap between the shellmound fauna and that of the Vero section nobody will be happier than the passing generation of archeologists. But even then the complete solution will not have been reached because we shall still be facing a situation which appears to require one of two things: either the anthropologist must surrender not only his present lightly held opinion regarding the antiquity of man in America, but also his rather more firmly fixed notion regarding the order and progress of cultural traits in general, or else the paleontologist must concede us a very much narrower margin of time as having elapsed since the close of the Pleistocene than he has hitherto. N. C. NELSON

THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

SPECIAL ARTICLES

A NEW METHOD FOR INVESTIGATION OF THE PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, MUSCLES AND GLANDS

and

IN preparing and preserving animals for investigation of the gross anatomy of the peripheral nervous system, muscles glands, simple methods commonly in use have not proven very satisfactory.

For the study of anatomical structures alcohol does not differentiate sufficiently either to separate the parts from each other or from surrounding tissues. Aside from its cost, moreover, alcohol is open to the objection that it makes the parts brittle. Formalin has been used with better results and is now the stand

ard means employed in preparing, and particularly in preserving, portions of the central nervous system. While both these reagents are preservatives of the peripheral nerves, muscles, and glands, neither is a satisfactory preparative for their dissection.

A successful fluid for this purpose should not only preserve, but it should also differentiate the anatomical systems from each other and bring to view the constituents of the