done so, Cimoliasaurus and Discosaurus would have become synonyms of Plesiosaurus, since no characters are known by which to distinguish them. As it is, I preserve the first, on the supposition that its scapular arch, will be found to present the peculiarities belonging to Elasmosaurus.

There are, however, several species included in Leidy's last description of Discosaurus vetustus, as he suggests, but believing that "the material was not sufficient to justify a separation," he allowed them to remain together. A portion of this material from New Jer sey belongs undoubtedly to Cimoliasaurus magnus, and the other specimens (two vertebræ), which present a few peculiarities, are recorded in my Synopsis Extinct Batrachia, Reptilia, etc., as Cimoliasaurus vetustus. I presume that it is on these two vertebræ that Leidy bases his reference of Elasmosaurus to Discosaurus. If the evidence furnished by these was "insufficient to justify their separation" from C. magnus, it is certainly insufficient to justify their reference to another genus. The proximal caudals of Elasmosaurus and Cimoliasaurus are identical, but the median and distal caudals of the two are quite distinct. In E. platyurus they present a deep median groove beneath and a rib-like elevation on each side. No such vertebræ have been described as referable to Cimoliasaurus, and there is no evidence to prove that the slightly angulate caudals among those referred to C. vetustus by Prof. Leidy did not belong to the medial caudal region of a Cimoliasaurus.* In a little notice furnished to LeConte's report on the Geology of the Union Pacific R. R., southern division, written almost as soon as I received the fossil, I temporarily referred the caudals to Discosaurus, not being generally willing to establish a new genus on caudal vetebræ or other distal portions.

In conclusion, it may be summarily stated that: 1, Discosaurus was erroneously constituted; 2, that characters separating it from Plesiosaurus were not adduced; 3, that it was not distinguished from Cimoliasaurus; 4, that Discosaurus vetustus embraces at least two species, one of which is Cimoliasaurus magnus; and, 5, the other cannot be proven to be an Elasmosaurus, but scarcely differs from corresponding parts of Cimoliasaurus magnus.

4. A new species of Tapir, from Guatemala; by Prof. THEODORE GILL. (Extract from a letter to one of the Editors).—The Smithsonian Institution has now the skulls of four adults and one young of the Tapir of Guatemala, and strange as it may appear, they seem conclusively to prove that the Tapir of that region is a different species from that of Panama, belonging, however, to the same genus-Elasmognathus. The most obvious differences are in the development of the nasal and frontal bones, but those are confirmed by the differences in the dentition, especially in the form of the first premolar of each jaw. The nasal bones of the young, compared with those of the corresponding age of E. Bairdii,

It can hardly be doubted that the median and distal caudals of Cimoliasaurus are angulate beneath, to produce terminal planes for the chevrons, in accordance with the structure of Plesiosaurus.

are wider, especially in front of the "pits," and exhibit basilar processes recurrent forward along the frontal bones, like those of Tapirus, but less developed, and the grooves for the nasal cartilages are deeper. As the animal advances in age, however, the frontals would appear to grow forward and force apart the nasals, which apparently do not increase, or even diminish in size, and sooner or later are fused with the frontals! This strange outgrowth of the frontal bones has been verified on four adults, and consequently the natural suggestion, that it was a monstrous individual feature, is rendered improbable. The first premolars of the Guatemalan form, in comparison with those of E. Bairdii, are in the upper jaw much narrower and divided into halves, the anterior of which is compressed and of almost uniform width, while the inner face of the posterior half bulges abruptly inward; in the lower jaw, they are also narrower, and the anterior cusp is separated by a vertical groove on the inner face of the tooth. All the specimens were obtained by Capt. John M. Dow, who was told by the party who gave [him] the skulls that the young are not marked on the body with longitudinal light colored stripes, like E. Bairdii," and he believes that "this want of marking is evidently constant in the young of the species found in Guatemala." This, if confirmed by Capt. Dow himself from autopsy, would furnish a remarkable exception in the family; but without attaching undue importance to the statement, the differences already enumerated seem sufficient to establish its specific rank, and I shall describe it at length under the name Elasmognathus Dowii. I may add that Prof. Baird from the first has insisted on its distinctness.

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5. Contributions to the Theory of Natural Selection: A Series of Essays; by ALFRED RUSSELL WALLACE, author of the Malay Archipelago, etc. 384 pp. 8vo. London, 1870. (Macmillan & Co). -Mr. Wallace, the author of this work, has the credit of being an independent originator of the doctrine of "Natural Selection." His first memoir, published in 1855, led to the publication by Darwin of his first work (in 1859) on the Origin of Species, as Darwin states in his preface. Darwin's views had been partly in manuscript for more than ten years, and had been made known to Lyell in 1844. Wallace's work will be read with interest by all who would acquaint themselves with the arguments and facts upon which the hypothesis of Natural Selection rests, and also for its original and curious observations on the geographical distribution and habits of some animals. The author differs widely on some points from Darwin and Huxley. He has a chapter, evincing profound and earnest thought, on the Limits of Natural Selection as applied to Man, in which he shows that Man could not have been made through Natural Selection, appealing for proof to the size of his brain; his naked and soft skin; his feet and hands; man's mental faculties, and his moral sense. He speaks of man as an ever-advancing, spiritual being, the ultimate aim of all organized existence; of his will, as not a product of nature's chemistry, but above

nature; and he says that the inference which he draws from the facts reviewed is that "a superior intelligence has guided the development of man in a definite direction, and for a special purpose, just as man guides the development of many animal and vegetable forms." He also argues that "all force is probably will-force;' and thus, that "the whole universe is not merely dependent on, but actually is, the WILL of higher intelligences, or of one Supreme Intelligence." We cite a few paragraphs from the part of his argument based on a comparison of the brains of Man and the Man-apes. "The collections of Dr. J. B. Davis and Dr. Morton give the following as the average internal capacity of the cranium in the chief races:-Teutonic family, 94 cubic inches; Esquimaux, 91 cubic inches; Negroes, 85 cubic inches; Australians and Tasmanians, 82 cubic inches; Bushmen, 77 cubic inches. These last numbers, however, are deduced from comparatively few specimens, and may be below the average, just as a small number of Finns and Cossacks give 98 cubic inches, or considerably more than that of the German races. It is evident, therefore, that the absolute bulk of the brain is not necessarily much less in savage than in civilized man, for Esquimaux skulls are known with a capacity of 113 inches, or hardly less than the largest among Europeans. But what is still more extraordinary, the few remains yet known of pre-historic man do not indicate any material diminution in the size of the brain case. A Swiss skull of the stone age, found in the lake dwelling of Meilen, corresponded exactly to that of a Swiss youth of the present day. The celebrated Neanderthal skull had a larger circumference than the average, and its capacity, indicating actual mass of brain, is estimated to have been not less than 75 cubic inches, or nearly the average of existing Australian crania. The Engis skull, perhaps the oldest known, and which, according to Sir John Lubbock, "there seems no doubt was really contemporary with the mammoth and the cave bear," is yet according to Professor Huxley, "a fair average skull, which might have belonged to a philosopher, or might have contained the thoughtless brains of a savage.' Of the cave men of Les Eyzies, who were undoubtedly contemporary with the reindeer in the South of France, Professor Paul Broca says (in a paper read before the Congress of Pre-historic Archæology in 1868)-"The great capacity of the brain, the development of the frontal region, the fine elliptical form of the anterior part of the profile of the skull, are incontestible characteristics of superiority, such as we are accustomed to meet with in civilized races." ***We cannot fail to be struck with the apparant anomaly, that many of the lowest savages should have as much brains as average Europeans. The idea is suggested of a surplusage of power; of an instrument beyond the need of its possessor. In order to discover if there is any foundation for this notion, let us compare the brain of man with that of animals. The adult male

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* While the largest Teutonic skull in Dr. Davis's collection is 112-4 cubic inches, there is an Araucanian of 115.5, an Esquimaux of 113.1, a Marquesan of 110-6, a Negro of 105'8, and even an Australian of 104.5 cubic inches.

Orang-utan is quite as bulky as a small sized man, while the Gorilla is considerably above the average size of man, as estimated by bulk and weight; yet the former has a brain of only 28 cubic inches, the latter, one of 30, or, in the largest specimen yet known, of 34 cubic inches.

* *

*

"We see, then, that whether we compare the savage with the higher developments of man, or with the brutes around him, we are alike driven to the conclusion that in his large and well-developed brain he possesses an organ quite disproportionate to his actual requirements-an organ that seems prepared in advance, only to be fully utilized as he progresses in civilization. A brain slightly larger than that of the gorilla would, according to the evidence before us, fully have sufficed for the limited mental development of the savage; and we must therefore admit, that the large brain he actually possesses could never have been solely developed by any of those laws of evolution, whose essence is, that they lead to a degree of organization exactly proportionate to the wants of each species, never beyond those wants-that no preparation can be made for the future development of the racethat one part of the body can never increase in size or complexity, except in strict co-ordination to the pressing wants of the whole. The brain of pre-historic and of savage man seems to me to prove the existence of some power, distinct from that which has guided the development of the lower animals through their ever-varying forms of being."

IV. ASTRONOMY.

1. Cordova Observatory under the direction of Dr. B. A. GOULD. --Dr. Gould has, at our request, furnished us with the following statement with regard to the Cordova Observatory which has been placed under his charge. He sailed with his family for South America in the latter part of May.

The Argentine Congress voted to establish a national observatory at Cordova, at the instance of President Sarmiento, and through the exertions of the present Minister of Public Instruction, Dr. Avelleneda,-who invited me to organize and take charge of it, knowing my desire to extend the catalogue of the southern heavens beyond the limit of 30° to which the zones of Argelander extend. Bessel went through the region from 45° N. to 15° S. with systematic zone-observations at Königsberg, which have since been reduced and published in two catalogues by Weisse of Cra

Argelander carried the same systematic scrutiny with the Meridian Circle, from Bessel's Northern limit to the pole, and afterwards from Bessel's southern limit to 30° S.

Since then Gilliss has observed a series of zones for 30° around the south pole; but the reduction of these, although very far advanced, was not completed at the time of his death, and the Ms. is now stored somewhere in Washington. Let us hope that it may at some time be recovered, the work completed and given to the world.

My hope and aim is to begin a few degrees North of Argelander's southern limit, say at 26° or 27°, and to carry southward a system of zone observations to some declination beyond Gilliss's northern limit, thus rendering comparisons easy with both these other labors, and permitting the easy determination of the corrections needful for reducing positions of any one of the three series to corresponding ones for the other. It is of course impossible to arrange in advance the details of such an undertaking, but my expectation is to go over the region in question in zones 2° wide, (except in the vicinity of the Milky Way where the width would be but one-half as great,) up to a declination of about 55°, after which the width would be gradually increased as the declinations became greater. Within these zones all stars seen as bright as the 9th magnitude would be observed, so far as possible, moving the telescope in altitude when no bright star is in the field until some one becomes visible, according to the well known method of zone-observations.

For reducing the observations, differential methods will probably be employed, inasmuch as the time now assigned for my absence from home would be inadequate for proper discussion of the corrections required for nice determinations of an absolute character. Still it is my present purpose, so far as possible, to make such subsidiary determinations as might hereafter be needed in any attempt at computing the observations absolutely. But as I hardly venture to anticipate any opportunity of making a thorough determination of the constants of refraction, or of the errors of graduation, it seems best to arrange for a differential computation at least at first.

It is improbable that a sufficient number of well determined stars will be found available even for this differential reduction, and the necessity may thus be entailed of determining the comparison-stars myself, this determination, however, itself depending upon standard star places. So far as possible I propose employing those heretofore determined by me, and published by the coast survey, which form the basis of the star places of the American Nautical Almanac.

With these observations of position it is my hope to combine others of a physical character to some extent; but in the presence of a plan implying so much labor and effort, it would be unwise to rely upon the possibility of accomplishing much more than the zone-work.

The Meteorological relations of the place are very peculiar, but I dare not undertake any connected series of observations bearing upon these, without self-registering apparatus, which is beyond my

means.

Cordova is one of the oldest cities, and contains the oldest university, of the Western hemisphere. It is situated in 31° S. latitude, on the boundary of the Pampa, where the land begins to rise toward the group of mountains known as the Sierra de Cordova. It is connected with Rosario, on the Parana, by the CenAM. JOUR. SCI.-SECOND SERIES, VOL. L, No. 148.-JULY, 1870.