212 NATURAL SCIENCE [September 



Lady Humphry, widow of the late Sir George Humphry, Professor of 

 Surgery at Cambridge, has presented her husband's library to the surgical 

 department of the university. 



On July 8th, the Geographical Institute of Lisbon, founded in commemora- 

 tion of the 400th anniversary of Vasco da Gama's departure for the Indies, was 

 opened by the Geological Society of Portugal. 



The German Botanical Society begins its annual meeting at Brunswick on 

 September 21 at the same time as the German Association of Naturalists and 

 Physicians. There will be an exhibition of scientific apparatus. 



Prof. Gustav Born, of Breslau, has received the Sommering prize from the 

 Senckenberg Society of Natural History at Frankfurt for his investigations on 

 the growth of the larvae of amphibia. 



In the absence of Prof. Biitschli, Prof. V. Carus presided over the annual 

 meeting of the German Zoological Society at Kiel, June 9-11. There were present 

 thirty-seven members and thirteen guests. The next meeting will be held at 

 Heidelberg at Whitsuntide, 1898. 



Dr Henry Woodward, keeper of the department of geology in the British 

 Museum (Natural History), has been permitted by the Treasury to retain his 

 office for another two years. According to the rules of retirement in the Civil 

 Service, his term of service would have expired next November. 



The Darwin statue at Shrewsbury was duly unveiled, and stands in front of 

 the Free Library. It is the work of a Shrewsbury man, Mr Horace Mountford, 

 is said to be an excellent likeness, and is the gift of the Shropshire Horticultural 

 Society. 



Professors D. T. Macdougal and Campbell, representing a Commission from 

 the American Universities, have visited Jamaica with a view of founding there a 

 botanical research laboratory. Other Commissioners have gone to Trinidad. On 

 their return to the United States they will compare notes as to the best locality 

 and come to a decision. 



Mr George Murray and Mr V. H. Blackman have returned from their trip 

 to Panama, after a successful and profitable voyage. They have obtained a large 

 quantity of plankton containing many new specimens, which will shortly be 

 worked out, and have made numerous interesting observations on living forms. 

 They spent two or three days in Jamaica on the way. 



According to Science, Mr B. W. Porter and Mr A. V. Shand, who are with 

 Lieut. Peary, expect to pass the winter in Baffin Land for the purpose of ethno- 

 logical and zoological studies and collections. In the summer of 1898 they hope 

 to travel further north and to return to Aberdeen on a whaling ship from Cum- 

 berland Sound. 



The first meeting of the Jersey Natural Science Association was held on 

 August 5, Dr A. C. Godfray in the chair. The attendance was small but 

 enthusiastic, and included many well-known names. We wish the Association 

 every success, but hope they will not find the usual trouble arising from the pro- 

 posed library and museum. 



Among those visiting Russia during the meeting of the Seventh International 

 Geological Congress at St Petersburg are :— Dr John Ball, Mr L. Belinfante, Mr 

 F. A. Bather, Prof. J. F. Blake, Mr J. H. Cooke, Mr P. Emary, Mr L. Fletcher, Sir 

 Archibald Geikie, Mr Upfield Green, Mr G. F. Harris, Dr Frazer Hume, Prof. 

 M'Kenny Hughes, Mr Philip Lake, Mr D. A. Louis, Mr Henry Louis, Prof. 

 Sollas, Dr P. L. Sclater, Mr G. A. Stonier, Mr J. J. H. Teall, Prof. II. G. Seeley, 

 Mr H. Bauerman, and Dr Wheelton Hind. 



