The American Journal of Science: Volume 81

The American Journal Of Science — Various authors. This collection provides a concisesnapshot of Part 3 (4), comprising five standalone articles that explore natural phenomena from coral atoll dynamics to perceptual optics, and from deep time paleontology to metamorphic geology. E. T. Doane's On the Atoll of Ebon (Marshall Islands, Micronesia) surveys the atoll's geography, lagoon, reef, and islets, noting slow land growth, sand-bar migration, reef dynamics, and coastal gardens tended by missionaries, all within a framework of long-term reef evolution. Levi (L. N.) Reuben's On Normal Vision of the Moving Blood-corpuscles within the Retina describes moving blood discs in retinal capillaries that produce luminous traces under colored light; the experiments link these effects to lens-like retinal behavior and discuss color dependence, heart-synchronization, and potential experimental limitations. O. N. Rood's On Dove's Theory of Lustre tests the idea that lustre arises from transmitted and internally reflected light, using stereoscope experiments and color pairs to show binocular/monocular contributions and practical demonstrations of metallic appearances. F. J. Picet's The Quaternian or Diluvian Period presents a European mammal faunal continuity from the Diluvian, detailing extinctions, coexistent humans, and the importance of stratigraphic dating. Prof. Epwag HitcHcoCK's On the Conversion of Conglomerates into Talcose Schists and Gneiss argues a metamorphic pathway through elongation, flattening, and cement replacement, supported by Rhode Island and Vermont examples and a regional structural view. Together, these works mirror mid-19th-century efforts to weave field observation, experimentation, and theory across geology, biology, and physics.