NEWS OF UNIVERSITIES, MUSEUMS, AND 

 SOCIETIES. 



The removal of the Natural History collections at Prague to the new building 

 of the Royal Bohemian Museum is now in progress. The cases, however, are not 

 yet completed, and nearly all the specimens are thus packed in boxes. The 

 difficulties are also much increased by the very limited staff at the disposal of the 

 Director, Dr. Anton Fritsch. A special room 25m. in length by 12m. in breadth, to 

 be termed the " Barrandeum," has been appropriated for the exhibition of the late Dr. 

 J. Barrande's collection of fossils illustrating his " Systeme Silurienne de laBoheme;'' 

 and we are pleased to learn that the Barrande Fund, founded by Dr. Anton Fritsch 

 for the further encouragement of the work that ceased at Barrande's death, has now 

 reached the sum of 10,000 florins. The interest on this fund, which has been raised 

 by voluntary contributions, will be available next year for the endowment of research 

 in the Silurian Formation of Bohemia, and it is hoped that some palaeontologist will 

 be thereby induced to make important additions to our knowledge of the smaller 

 fossil organisms of that Formation. 



The Annual Report of the Vienna Museum of Natural History for 1891 appears 

 in the new part of its Annaleii (vol. vii., pts. i, 2). In addition to the detailed lists 

 of acquisitions and publications, and the general report of progress, there is an 

 interesting brief account of the various scientific missions undertaken by members 

 of the staff in foreign countries. These missions form one of the most noteworthy 

 features in the work of the Vienna Museum, and during 1891 the costs of no less 

 than eight journeys were defrayed from the fund at the disposal of the Director. 

 Dr. Franz Steindachner's exploration of the depths of the Mediterranean in the 

 Grecian Archipelago, under the auspices of the Vienna Academy of Sciences, is also 

 an important feature in the year's work ; and his subsequent co-operation with Dr. 

 R. Sturany in the investigation of the fauna of some freshwater lakes in Macedonia 

 resulted in the acquisition of a valuable collection from a previously unexplored 

 region. Among future arrangements. Dr. A. Brezina is deputed to represent the 

 Museum at the Scientific Congresses in connection with the Chicago Exhibition next 

 year. Few changes were made in the staff of the Museum during 1891, and 

 numerous congratulations were offered to the esteemed Director, Dr. Franz Ritter 

 von Hauer, on the occasion of his seventieth birthday. 



The Annual Report of the Brighton Museum for 1891, lately issued, records 

 much progress in the arrangement of the Natural History collections, which are 

 now very extensive. The most important addition during the year was the series of 

 Bra chiopoda, Bryozoa, and Tunicata selected and arranged by Miss Agnes Crane. 

 In response to a request from the Secretary of the British Association Committee 

 for the Registration of Type-Fossils, Mr. Edward Crane, Chairman of the Museum 

 Committee, has prepared a list of the type and figured specimens of fossils, which is 

 appended to the Report. The unique collection of fossils from the Sussex Chalk, 

 presented to the Museum by Mr. Henry Willett, is especially rich in such speci- 

 mens ; and the Holmes Collection of Wealden Reptilia comprises several bones 

 described by Sir Richard Owen. 



The sixth International Geological Congress is to be held at Zurich in August, 

 1894. A preliminary circular, signed by Professors Renevier, Heim, and Golliez, has 

 already been issued, together with a brief Proch-verbal of the meeting held on the 3rd 



