140 NATURAL SCIENCE [August 



this may account for the fact that the shells of this genus are always very clean. 

 The relations of the mantle to the slit on the outer lip could not be observed. 



After descending Aconcagua, Zurbriggen and Mr Stuart Vines ascended tlie 

 neighbouring Tupungato, which proved to be a volcano, 21,000 feet high. An 

 active volcano was seen to the west. 



Another large volcano, Orizaba, has recently been ascended by Mr K. T. 

 Stoepel. Its extreme height is 18,333 feet, the length of the crater 1540, its 

 breadth 1300, its depth 330. 



With the idea that a fresh outlet may be provided for the grain-bearing 

 provinces of Canada, an exploration of Hudson Bay is now in progress, under 

 the command of Capt. Wakeham. Dr R. Bell and Mr Low, of the Canadian 

 Geological Survey, will make geological and topographical surveys of the coasts 

 and islands, while Capt. Wakeham on the Diana will investigate the naviga- 

 bility and fishing resources of the waters. 



On August 10, Lord Kenyon, President of the Shropshire Horticultural 

 Society, will unveil the statue of Darwin that has been erected by the Society 

 at the entrance to the Public Library and Museum, the former school-buildings, 

 of Shrewsbury. The statue, which is in bronze on a granite pedestal, is the work 

 of Mr Horace Montford of Shrewsbury, and is not wholly unlike the fine statue 

 in the Natural History Museum, London, though somewhat more alert in 

 expression. 



An influential meeting was held in the rooms of the Royal Geographical 

 Society on July 5 to induce the Australasian Premiers to bring the subject of 

 Antarctic exploration before their respective Governments. It was stated that 

 the Society was prepared to contribute £5000 towards the amount subscribed 

 by the Colonies. Elocpient and convincing speeches were delivered ; but the 

 Premiers were unable to be present. 



Under the directorship of Dr T. Kochibe, the Geological Survey of Japan has 

 been making good progress, and the staff has been increased. There has for some 

 time been accumulating a collection chiefly illustrative of practical geology, and 

 it is now proposed to build a proper geological museum in Tokyo. A short time 

 ago some valuable phosphatic beds of Tertiary age were discovered along the 

 north-east shore of the province of Kyushu, and Dr Tsuneto, of the Agronomic 

 division of the Survey, has been experimenting with the material so as to make it 

 available for the small Japanese peasant-farmers to use as manure. The organic 

 remains in the deposit are those of marine invertebrates. 



The Commissioners of the Whitechapel Public Library and Museum, in their 

 third report, are glad to note the life infused into the museum by the Curator, 

 Miss K. M. Hall. The average daily attendance is 275. A series of science lec- 

 tures has been given free by eminent workers, and has been fully attended. Two 

 exhibitions of spring flowers, and two of children's natural history collections, 

 have been held. Twenty visits of classes from Elementary Schools have been 

 made under Article 20 of the Education Code. The only thing in this report 

 that is not satisfactory is the absence of Natural Science from the list of periodicals 

 in the news-room. 



Last October the Museum, Art Gallery, Public Library, and Technical Insti- 

 tute of Worcester, combined under the title of the Victoria Institute, were moved 

 into a new building. It was soon found, oddly enough, that the space for the 

 museum was less than in the old building, and it was necessary to appropriate the 

 basement for the exhibition of the geological and ethnological specimens in spite of 

 l lie little light available. This is a pity, for the local geological collection is a 

 good one in itself, and further contains specimens of some historic interest from 



