i^m^IME alone can prove whether the present system of selection 

 m and trainmg of candidates for the Indian Forest Department 

 * is calculated to produce the best men fur the Indian service. 

 The system is now under revision ; but, as it is worked at present, 

 candidates before going to Nancy are submitted to a somewhat wide 

 test examination conducted by skilled experts, in various branches. 

 It certainly says something for the thoroughness of their training 

 that about half the successful candidates during the last five years, 

 including Messrs. Muriel, Jackson, and Corbett — the three first in the 

 list for the recent examination — have been pupils of Messrs. Wren and 

 Gurney. These gentlemen have all been trained in Natural Science 

 by Professor Boulger, who has been a contributor to our pages from the 

 first volume of the 'Journal.' The remaining successful candidate, 

 Mr, Foster, was also a pupil of Mr. Boulger's in Botany. 



* 



Apropos of the question of forest training at Nancy, we desire to 

 call the especial attention of English candidates for this training to an 

 admirable book which Messrs. Cassell and Company have just sent us. 

 This volume is no other than the one hundred and sixty-sixth thou- 

 sand of their excellent and marvellously cheap Anglo-FrenchDictionary. 

 How such a mass of well-printed matter (1,122 pages), capitally and 

 strongly bound, can be sold with profit at the price of three shillings 

 and sixpence, we are fairly puzzled to understand. The enormous 

 sale which this popular and well-known Dictionary has secured, of 

 course partly explains its amazing cheapness ; but even this great 

 sale can scarcely show much profit, with so very small a selling price. In 

 any case, Messrs. Cassell and Company do great public service by the 



