356 NATURAL SCIENCE. mav. 



The Department of Botany of Chicago University has planned a large building, 

 to be known as the Hull Botanical Laboratory "The four stories," says the 

 Botanical Gazette, " will contain ample space for lecture-rooms, libraries, laboratories, 

 and private research rooms for morphology, physiology, and taxonomy. A large 

 roof greenhouse will supply an abundance of living material under all conditions." 



We learn from Science that Harvard University has, mainly by means of a fund 

 established in 1892 by G. A. Gardner, of Boston, purchased several thousand 

 photographs of geological and geographical subjects. 



The Sunday opening of the National Museums in London was inaugurated on 

 Easter Day by the admission of the public to the various galleries of the Souih 

 Kensington Museum, and to the Bethnal Green Museum, between the hours of 

 2 and 6. The total number of visitors to the South Kensington Museum was 7,168, 

 which, however, is probably to be reduced owing to some visitors having passed 

 through the numerous turnstiles more than once. At Bethnal Green the number 

 was 3,026. It was odd to see in the picture galleries at South Kensington several 

 pictures carefully hidden from view by cloths. A young lady visitor was overheard 

 supposing that they were " too improper to be shown on a Sunday " ; but we under- 

 stand the truth to be that the terms of the Ellison bequest, under which they were 

 left to the Museum, forbade their exhibition on the Sabbath. These pictures will 

 therefore continue to be sealed treasures for the majority of Londoners. 



The Horniman Museum at Forest Hill has been open on Sunday afternoons 

 ever since June i, 1895, ^"^l up to Easter Day the visitors numbered 17,330, or an 

 average of 391. The average for week-days, from 2.0 to g p.m , is 456. The 

 present building is becoming so crowded with collections, especially of objects 

 from the East, collected by Mr. Horniman during his recent travels, that it 

 is intended to build a new museum. The Report for 1895, which has been 

 sent to us, contains full-page illustrations of some recent acquisitions, of which 

 the most interesting to our readers is, perhaps, the ancient Celtic bell of quad- 

 rangular shape, formed of a single plate of iron about 22 inches in length by 10 inches 

 in breadth, which has been bent on itself in the middle, and riveted along the sides 

 with flat-headed nails. The bell appears to have been dipped into melted bronze. 

 It was found at Bosbury, in Herefordshire, and is of a type very rare in England. 

 This museum has recently purchased a fine specimen of Ichthyosaurus, from the Lias 

 of Keynsham, about ten feet in length. 



A LARGE and beautiful series of original drawings of Fungi, by Mr. Edwin 

 Wheeler, of Bristol, has recently been presented to the Trustees of the British 

 Museum. The evanescent nature of many of the forms renders such faithful 

 representation of the living and growing plants peculiarly valuable. Mr. Wheeler 

 has laid all lovers of nature under special obligation to him for his splendid work, 

 admirable alike for the scientific exactness of form and colour, and for the artistic 

 rendering of these little-known plants. The larger forms, such as Agaricits, 

 Polyporus, and Boletus, are the most fully represented. The Discomycetes, such as 

 Helvetia, Peziza, and others, are also included in the subjects of Mr. Wheeler's art. 

 Many of the microscopic rusts, moulds, Mycetozoa, etc., which are so exquisite in 

 detail, have been drawn by the aid of the microscope or the magnifying glass. 

 They show us anew how much is visible to the trained eye that is entirely lost to 

 the casual observer. Mr. Wheeler and his brother. Dr. Henry Wheeler, have 

 handed over, as a free gift to the nation, this magnificent and unique collection of 

 some 2,500 drawings. A selection from them is at present on exhibition in the 

 Botanical Gallery of the Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road. 



We are glad to see that the inhabitants of Bristol take so much interest in their 

 museum that Mr. E. Wilson's excellent little penny guide has gone into its sixth 



