3i6 NATURAL SCIENCE. April. 



A LIST of seventy names was read by the Secretary of those who had expressed 

 their willingness to join the Society, and it was resolved that they be the original 

 members. The annual subscription was fixed at half-a-guinea, and the entrance fee 

 at the same sum ; all those joining before December 31, 1893, will be elected by 

 ballot in the customary manner, but will be exempt from the entrance fee. 



The meetings of the new Society will be held on the second Friday in each 

 month (November to June) at 8 p.m., and, for the present, Mr. Harris has courteously 

 permitted the Society to meet at 67 Chancery Lane. The Council as at present 

 appointed will draw up the rules of the Society, which will be presented to the 

 first General Meeting, to be held on April 14. Letters to the Secretary (Mr. E. R. 

 Sykes) should be addressed to 13 Doughty Street, London, W.C. 



The objects of the society will be to study Malacology in all its branches, 

 both recent and fossil, anatomical and skeletal, and if we may judge from the list of 

 names furnished to us as founders of the society, has a great future before it. We 

 hope, however, that it will do real scientific work, and leave the publication of local 

 lists and small matters of that kind to the field clubs. 



The Geologists' Association will start for Norwich on Thursday evening, March 

 30. On Friday the members will visic the Norwich Crag and Chalk at Bramerton 

 and Thorpe, on Saturday the cliffs at Mundesley, Trimingham, and Overstrand and 

 on Monday those from Cromer to Sherringham and Weybourn. On Tuesday, 

 those who have the time still free will proceed to Lowestoft and visit the Pakefield 

 Cliffs. 



We have received from Professor Jules Marcou a pamphlet, entitled " A Little 

 More Light on the United States Geological Survey," containing bitter personal 

 attacks on many of the geologists. We do not profess to understand the rights of 

 these personal disputes, but are sorry to see, from various papers that have lately 

 reached us, that party feeling is affecting the value of much of the geological work 

 done in the United States, both by the official geologists and those outside. Some 

 comments on the work of the United States Geological Survey will be found in our 

 last volume (p. 644). 



Circulars from the World's Fair at Chicago arrive with startling rapidity. 

 The latest we have received comes from the " General Division of African Ethno- 

 logy," and unfolds a gigantic programme of work to be accomplished, dealing with 

 Geography, History, Arts, Language and Literature, Religion, Natural Science, and 

 Social and Political Science. Natural Science, of course, interests us the most, and 

 we read that the following papers are promised : — " Astronomy," by W. W. Payne ; 

 '' Structure of Africa and its Geological Systems," by James Geikie (invited) ; 

 " Economic Geology of Africa," by Jos. Thomson (invited) ; " African Anthro- 

 pology and Ethnology," by Heli Chatelain ; "African Flora and Fauna, with 

 Economic Botany and Zoology," by G. Schweinfurth and E. Holub (both invited). 

 What the word " invited " means we are not told, but we only hope the desires of 

 the promoters will be realised. There is a long and important list of " Advisory 

 Council" printed at the end, and among those who are representatives of the 

 different countries of the world, we read " H. M. Stanley, representing Humanity," 

 and this entry comes first. 



A SYSTEMATIC and alphabetical index of new species of North American fiowering 

 plants and ferns published in 1892 is in preparation at the United States National 

 Herbarium. What a boon to systematists if all national Herbaria would follow 

 this example ! 



