R was In this connection it may be of interest to look at the results of a few measurements by this method. The resistance measured consisted of a medium-sized storage cell in series with a coil marked 2 ohms.' This gives a definite resistance with an E.M.F. not easily polarized. The results of thirty measurements are shown in the table below. varied from one ohm to forty ohms, and P was given such values that Q would be a little over 4,000 ohms. Each balance was sensitive to a change of 1 ohm in Q, and often the 0.5ohm coil was used. The results are tabulated in the order obtained, reading across the table from left to right. As the room became warmer the resistance grew larger, each column showing the same increase of 0.002 ohm. It is seen from these results that the method is as sensitive as a post-office box, and by using a larger condenser the sensitiveness can be still further increased. From this limited data it is hardly safe to draw a general conclusion, but it may be noted that the smaller values of R, in other words, the larger currents in the storage cell, give smaller values of X, the same as with ordinary cells. The average of these twelve determinations is 1.389 ohms, and the mean variation from this value is 0.002 ohm, while the probable error of this result is 1 part in 2,600. But it is not my present purpose to discuss experimental data except in so far as it shows that Mance's method is not without some merit. It has been shown that this method is fully as accurate as is required for laboratory use, whether the resistance to be measured be of the first or second class. The purpose of this paper will be fully attained if it has clearly shown the principle underlying this method, and pointed out the very obvious error which has crept into many of the text-books from Maxwell down to the present. ARTHUR W. SMITH. PHYSICAL LABORATORY, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, ORGANISMS ON THE SURFACE OF GRAIN, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO BACILLUS COLI. THE recent note by Dr. Erastus G. Smith on the occurrence on grain of organisms resembling the Bacillus coli communis' appears to warrant preliminary publication of some of the results of my studies of the micro-organisms normally present on the flowers and fruit of certain plants in the Piedmont region and the rice belt of South Carolina. These studies, originally undertaken as a side issue in another problem, have proved intrinsically interesting. In the fall of 1903 I determined the organisms present on the grain in twelve rice fields. In 1904 I studied both the flowers and grain in eight of the twelve fields examined the year before, and in four other fields. In 1904 I also studied, for comparison, the flowers and grain in eight wheat fields, and six oat fields; also the flowers and fruit in three peach orchards, flowers and fruit in two asparagus patches, and flowers and fruit in one patch of the wild Iris verna L. A few comparative studies of organisms on the fruit or flowers and the leaves of the same plant were also made. In every case exactly fifty grains or flowers or fruits, as the case might be, were taken at random from each field or patch, in the case of the cereals only one grain from any one spike. Each one was shaken in sterile water, allowed to stand for about an hour, shaken again, and the whole added to sterile agar-agar and plated; except in the case of peaches, when only a portion of the water was plated. The resulting organisms were studied in greater or less detail, according to their interest. A part of the conclusions to date are as follows: 1. An immense but variable number and variety of micro-organisms were normally the same locality, and showed no constant association with the host plants studied. 2. Without exception, the same organisms that occurred on the flower could later be found on the fruit, but not in the same quantity. But organisms commonly occurred on the fruit that were not found on the flower. 3. The most constantly present organisms were certain yeasts; in greatest number and variety on the peach, asparagus and iris; but yet characteristically present on the cereals. 4. The bacteria on the flowers and fruit were not different in kind from those on the leaves of the same plant, nor, so far as studied, materially different in number, area for area. With the peach, asparagus and iris fungi, and especially yeasts, occurred in noticeably greater number on the flower and fruit than on the leaf. 5. Bacteria giving the standard reactions of the colon group were found in thirteen out of the sixteen rice fields examined, five of the eight wheat fields and all of the oat fields. All three peach orchards and both asparagus patches exhibited coli forms in both flower and fruit; but none were found on either flower or fruit of Iris verna. In the following tables are shown the proportion of flowers and fruits each flower or grain in the cereals representing a spike) found to have coli forms on the surface: THE INTERNATIONAL CATALOGUE OF SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE. IN 1903 I was appointed by the council of this society acting as the regional bureau for New South Wales, to represent this state at the council meetings held in London in May last. I duly attended the meetings and now have the honor to make the following report. The Royal Society of London commenced the work by compiling catalogues of scientific papers (printed between 1800 and 1883) in twelve large quarto volumes, the first volume of which was issued in 1867. In it the titles are arranged solely under the authors' names. A catalogue of the papers published since, i. e., between 1884 and 1900, is now in hand, and a subject index is also nearly completed. The possibility of preparing a complete catalogue of current scientific literature was considered by the Royal Society in 1893, but as it was apparent that the work was beyond the resources of the Royal Society, or indeed of any single body, the society sought the opinion of representative foreign bodies and individuals, and the replies being favorable, steps were taken to summon an international conference. This conference, at which I was present as a delegate, took place in London, on July 14 to 17, 1896, and was attended 'by delegates appointed by the governments of Canada, Cape Colony, Denmark, France, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Natal, the Netherlands, New South Wales, New Zealand, Norway, Queensland, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. It was then unanimously resolved to compile and publish a complete catalogue of current scientific literature, arranged according to both subject matter and authors' names. The Royal Society was requested to appoint a committee to further consider the system of classification to be adopted and other matters, and it was decided to establish the central bureau in London. At the second international conference held in London on October 11 to 13, 1898, several questions were settled and a provisional international committee appointed which afterwards met in London, on August 1 to 5, 1899, when the work was still further expedited and the Royal Society requested to organize the central bureau and make all necessary arrangements so that the preparation of the catalogue might be commenced in 1901. A third international conference was held in London, on June 12 and 13, 1900, at which all financial and other difficulties were removed by the Royal Society agreeing to act as publishers and to advance the funds necessary to start the enterprise. The supreme control over the catalogue is now vested in an international convention which is to meet in London in 1905, in 1910 and every tenth year afterwards, to consider and, if necessary, to revise the regulations for carrying out the work of the catalogue. In the interval between two successive meetings of the convention the administration of the catalogue is carried out by the international council, the members of which are appointed by the regional bureaus. The total expenditure from July 1, 1900, to February 29, 1904, has been £10,153, and the total amount received from subscribing bodies was £6,755; eventually the publication will pay its way, but it may be some time before the debt to the Royal Society will be extinguished. The financial support given by the different countries is shown in the following list. New Zealand has not become a contracting body: Austria, £165; Canada, £119; Cape Colony, £109; Denmark, £102; Egypt, £17; Finland, £45; France, £754; Germany, £901; Greece, £34; Holland, £133; Hungary, £68; India and Ceylon, £471; Italy, £459; Japan, £255; Mexico, £85; New South Wales, £34; New Zealand, £17; Norway, £85; Nova Scotia, £17; Orange River Colony, £17; Poland, £17; Portugal, £17; Queensland, £34; Russia, £512; South Australia, £34; Sweden, £85; Switzerland, £119; United Kingdom, £765; United States, £1,251; Victoria, £17; Western Australia, £17. Total, £6,755. issue was 43,447, and the total number of entries in that issue was 149,768. The numbers of books and papers indexed in the volumes of the second annual issue are as follows: A, mathematics, 1,843; B, mechanics, 841; C, physics, 2,433; D, chemistry, 5,632; E, astronomy, 1,223; F, meteorology, 1,988; G, mineralogy, 1,307; H, geology, 1,702; J, geography, 2,022; K, paleontology, 638; L, general biology, 689; M, botany, 6,339; N, zoology, 7,131; O, anatomy, 1,424; P, anthropology, 1,861; Q, physiology, 9,671; R, bacteriology, 3,132. The total number of entries in the author catalogue of the second annual issue is, therefore, 49,876, an increase of 6,429, or about 15 per cent. more than the number in the first annual issue. The total number of pages in the first annual issue is 8,387. The foregoing table shows the number of slips received and the instalments in which they were supplied to the central bureau. It was originally intended that the catalogue should not only contain the titles of papers, but that their subject matter should be fully indexed also; financial considerations have, however, led to the number of subject entries being at present limited in number. The title slips received at the central bureau very often showed that the papers were insufficiently indexed, especially in the lists of new species in botany, zoology and chemistry; in many cases the central bureau has made good these deficiencies. The executive committee urge that efforts should be made in all countries to supply fuller information as to the contents of papers; if this were done the catalogue would be much more complete and the cost would be much decreased, and all journals are urged to index each paper and attach the registration numbers at the time of publication. At the meeting of the international council held at the Royal Society's House, London, May 23 and 24, 1904, it was resolved, in consequence of the success achieved by the 'International Catalogue of Scientific Literature,' and of its great importance to scientific workers, to recommend that its publication be continued. The agreement with the contract ing countries was made in the first instance for five years only, in case the publication of the catalogue should fail financially or in other ways. It was also decided to spend £100 in making the catalogue known, and to take steps to invite the cooperation of other countries not yet represented on the council, e. g., Spain, the Balkan States, South American Republics, etc. The proposal to publish additional volumes upon, a, medicine and surgery; b, agriculture, horticulture and forestry; c, technology (various branches) was discussed, and it was decided that the executive committee should take the suggestion into fuller consideration and bring it under the notice of the international convention in July, 1905. It was also resolved that all alterations in the schedules should be collected and edited by the central bureau prior to submission to the regional bureaus for their opinions, and that the schemes should be edited by a special committee before being submitted to the international convention. A. LIVERSIDGE. INAUGURATION OF THE MAGNETIC SURVEY OF THE NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN. As announced in a previous issue of SCIENCE, the brig Galilee of San Francisco, a wooden sailing vessel, built in 1891, of length 132.5 feet, breadth 33.5 feet, depth 12.7 feet, displacement about 600 tons, has been chartered by the department of terrestrial magnetism of the Carnegie Institution of Washington for the purpose of making a magnetic survey of the North Pacific Ocean. After the various necessary alterations, e. g., substitution of the steel rigging by hemp rigging, etc., were made, the vessel entered upon her duties early in August. Magnetic observations were made at various places on the shores around San Francisco Bay and the most suitable place for 'swinging ship' by their aid determined. The ship was 'swung' with the aid of a tug on August 2, 3 and 4 in San Francisco Bay between Goat Island and Berkeley, California, and the various deviation coefficients were determined. On August 5, the Galilee sailed from San Francisco, secured magnetic observations daily to a greater or less extent according to conditions of the weather and sea, 'swung' twice under sail, and arrived at San Diego, August 12. This first short cruise was an experimental one, various instruments and methods having been subjected to trials under the direction of the writer, who accompanied the expedition as far as San Diego. The deflection apparatus devised by the writer for determining horizontal intensity has proved successful. In a future paper the methods, instruments and results will be more fully described. After further alterations had been made at San Diego, and the deviation coefficients having been redetermined, the Galilee again set sail, on September 1, this time for the Hawaiian and Midway Islands and is expected to return to San Francisco about December 1. After these two experimental voyages, she is to sail from San Francisco early in 1906 on a more lengthy cruise-one embracing the entire circuit of the North Pacific Ocean. The scientific personnel at present consists of Mr. J. F. Pratt, commander; Dr. J. Hobart Egbert, surgeon and magnetic observer; Mr. J. P. Ault, magnetic observer, and Mr. P. C. Whitney, magnetic observer and watch officer. The sailing master is Captain J. T. Hayes, who has made some record sailing trips in the Galilee-or -one a voyage of 3,000 miles from the South Pacific Islands to San Francisco in fifteen days and having made as much as 308 miles in one day. DEPT. TERRESTRIAL MAGNETISM, CARNEGIE INSTITUTION, WASHINGTON, D. C., September 11, 1905. L. A. BAUER. EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES IN YELLOW FEVER AND MALARIA AT VERA CRUZ. THE U. S. Public Health and Marine Hospital Service has published a bulletin on the experimental work done by assistant surgeons M. J. Rosenau, Herman B. Parker, Edward Francis and George E. Beyer, the conclusions of which are as follows: The cause of yellow fever is not known. The Myxococcidium |