286 NATURAL SCIENCE [October 
Keswick, and is now known as the Fitz Park Museum. It owes its origin to the 
late James Clifton Ward, whose valuable geological work in the lake district is 
well known. The present curator is Mr James Postlethwaite. The collections 
are restricted entirely to objects illustrative of the local natural history, and 
although some of the sections are still far from complete, considerable energy is 
being displayed to make it exhaustive. A catalogue was issued in 1888, and this, 
we hope, will soon be followed by a new edition. 
_ Some 3000 members attended the meeting of the British Association at Bristol, 
September 7-14, under the presidency of Prof. Sir William Crookes. Lectures 
were delivered in the evenings by Prof. Sollas on “ Funafuti, the study of a Coral 
Island,” and by Mr Herbert Jackson on “ Phosphorescence,” while Prof. Poulton 
delivered the Working Man’s Lecture on “The ways in which animals warn their 
enemies and signal to their friends.” A special biological exhibit was arranged 
in the Zoological Gardens, consisting of living hybrid trout, specimens of cross- 
breeding in animals, and hybrid and crossed varieties of flowers, ferns, orchids, 
and other plants. The First Lord of the Admiralty stationed, by request, 
four Battleships in Kingroad, Avonmouth, for the edification and protection of 
the visitors. An excellent series of excursions took place, those most interesting 
to our readers being Austcliff on Sept. 10 to see the Rhaetic beds, and to Tort- 
worth on Sept. 15 to see the new exposure of Silurian beds recently re-opened by 
Lord Ducie. This proves to be a thin band of Wenlock bordering the exposure 
of Upper Llandovery, and is crowded with Coenites. A long excursion of five days 
was taken from Sept. 16-20 to Exeter, Torquay, Dartmouth, Plymouth, and Dart- 
moor. In a comprehensive pocket handbook which was issued, Prof. Morgan 
gave a sketch of the geology of the district, Mr J. W. White of the botany, Mr 
A. E. Hudd of the insects, and Messrs Morgan and Charbonnier of the verte- 
brata, with the exception of the birds which were dealt with by Mr H. C. Playne. 
THE Royal Society of Victoria has had a shock not uncommon to societies in 
the Australian continent, viz., the reduction of its Government grant. We echo 
the hope of the Council in their last report that “with a return of more 
prosperous times the vote may be increased so as to enable the Society to publish 
the papers presented to it.” There is a steady growth of the library as indicated 
by an additional 200 feet of shelving erected during the year. 
THE Manchester Microscopical Society has issued a satisfactory report for 
1897. There is a loss of two members, but that no doubt will be regained next 
year. The library and the collection of slides are both increasing, and the latter 
is carefully listed out at the end of the current transactions. 
Tue Edinburgh meeting of the British Medical Association was commemo- 
rated by the Scottish Medical and Surgical Journal in a special number, issued as 
volume iii., No. 2, for August, price two shillings. This is well illustrated with 
photographs of the Presidents, University old and new buildings, M‘Ewan Hall, 
Royal Infirmary, and many Scottish Spas. Among other interesting articles are 
Medical Institutions in Edinburgh, Medical Student Life in Edinburgh, Edin- 
burgh Medical Clubs, their Songs and Song-Writers, the Edinburgh Royal 
Infirmary Old Residents’ Club, and a general account of Scottish Spas and their 
mineral waters. A photograph of the Residency table at the Royal Infirmary, 
covered with names of past residents, will awaken many memories. 
THE roll of the Field Naturalists’ Club of Victoria is 129 members, a slight 
decrease on that of last year. Its journal, the Victorian Naturalist, has com- 
menced its sixteenth year and is edited by Mr F.G. A. Barnard. One of the 
chief works of the year has been the protection of the albatrosses on Albatross 
