254 NEWS [march 



rare and interesting specimen by the message that a patient was waiting in his 

 consultation-room, he at first refused to see him. On second thoughts, however, 

 he threw down his scalpel, and rising, with a weary sigh, exclaimed, ' But I 

 suppose I must go and earn that d d guinea ! ' — which is life in an epigram." 



At a meeting of the Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh, on February 15, 

 Mr. William Evans submitted a list of the Collembola and Thysanura of the 

 Edinburgh district, drawn up by Mr. G. H. Carpenter, of Dublin, and himself. 

 The list, which was based entirely on specimens collected by Mr. Evans 

 during the past three years, dealt with forty-four species of Collembola and five 

 of Thysanura. Six of the former were additions to the British list. Mr. J. G. 

 Goodchild made a second communication on the genesis of some Scottish 

 minerals, in the course of which he dealt with the changes which had been pro- 

 duced on minerals by the percolation of water from the surface downward. 

 Mr. W. Eagle Clarke read a paper dealing with the recent appearance in Scotland 

 of Macqueen's Bustard, and he also made a communication the subject of which 

 was a Hebridean example of the Lesser Whitethroat. 



The Egyptian Government, with the co-operation of the authorities of the 

 British Museum, is about to begin a- survey of the Nile, with the object of 

 determining the species of fishes inhabiting its waters. The undertaking has 

 been organised by Dr. John Anderson, F.R.S., who has long been zealously at 

 work on the zoology of Egypt. His proposal for an investigation of the waters 

 of the Nile from Cairo to its origin in Lake Albert met with strong support from 

 Lord Lister, Professor Ray Lankester, and other distinguished men of science. 

 It was also received favourably by Lord Cromer, with the result that the survey 

 has been decided upon. The authorities of the British Museum have, it is 

 understood, promised their assistance, and have also placed at the disposal of 

 the Egyptian Government the services of Dr. Boulenger for the purpose of work- 

 ing out the material obtained by the survey. A number of places along the 

 river are to be selected, at which collections will be brought together and placed 

 in the Museum tanks, which, when full, will be dispatched to London. Mr. 

 Leonard Loat has been appointed superintendent of the survey, and he will act 

 under the direction of Dr Keatinge, chief of the Medical School of Cairo. Mr. 

 Loat is leaving England in a few days to commence operations. The physical 

 characteristics of the river and the river bed are to be carefully noted, and 

 attention given to the habits of the fishes. 



Mr. W. W. Skeat, of Cambridge, and formerly of Siam, has started, along with 

 two zoologists and a botanist, on a scientific expedition to the southern regions 

 of Siam, of which relatively little is known. 



A report of the work done by the German Deep-Sea Expedition, up to the 

 time of its arrival at Victoria, Cameroons, is given by Dr. G. Schott in the 

 Annalen der Hydrographie, Heft 1, 1899. 



Mr. John Whitehead has left for another scientific expedition to the 

 Philippines. Mr. Whitehead's previous explorations were confined mainly to the 

 island of Luzon. On this occasion he proposes to visit the southern islands, 

 especially the great island of Mindanao, and should he succeed in penetrating 

 into the mountains very valuable and interesting results are expected. If he 

 is compelled to abandon his journey in Mindanao, he proposes to explore 

 Formosa, Hainau, or the high mountains on the Siamese side of the Malay 

 Peninsula. 



Mr. P. G. Ignatof reports in Globus (lxxv. No. 3) that the salt lake of 

 Kyzyl-Kak, in West Siberia, which is said not to freeze, has a bright red colour, 

 due to the large number of small Crustacea. 



Mr. H. J. Elwes has recently returned from the Altai Mountains. One of 

 his chief objects was to visit the head-waters of the Yenisei, almost unknown 



