June 20, 1 8 78 J 



NATURE 



205 



an upper and a lower half, the greater part, however, ad- 

 hering to the lower slab. The bones adhere about equally 

 to the two faces. The drawing is made from the lower 

 slab, with some of the details filled in from the upper 

 one. The feather impressions are about equally distinct 

 on both, and where in either case the bones are absent 

 exact moulds of them remain, so that the structure can 

 be seen and measurements taken almost equally well 

 from either slab. 



The species here described is of special interest as 

 being the first fossil Passerine bird discovered in North 

 America, although birds of this group have been known 

 for many years from the tertiary deposits of Europe. 



The author is indebted for the opportunity of describ- 

 ing these interesting specimens to Mr. S. H. Scudder, 

 who obtained them during his last season's (1877) ex- 

 plorations of the Florissant insect-beds. The specimens 

 are now the property of the Boston Society of Natural 

 History. 



NOTES 



A TELEGRAM from Sydney, dated June 17, announces the 

 death of the Rev. W. B. Clarke, the eminent Australian 

 geologist. Mr. Clarke was a Fellow of the Royal Society. 



At Gotha a monument erected in memory of the well-known 

 naturaUst, Prof. Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, who died at 

 Gottingen, in 1840, was unveiled on May 19. It consists of 

 a gigantic block of stone bearing a portrait of Blumenbach 

 and an inscription, and was executed after the design of the 

 eminent architect, Herr Eelbo. 



The next session of the French Association for the 

 Advancement of Science will be held at Paris from August 

 22 to 29. The presidents of sections have been appointed 

 by the general committee. Among them we find the 

 names of MM. Cornu, Quatrefages, Bertillon, Maunoir, Wurtz, 

 Herve-Mangon, Baron Thcnard. It is stated that for the 

 first time each of these presidents will deliver an introduc- 

 tory address on the work of his section, after the example of the 

 British Association. 



Two Japanese astronomers Janagi and Issono, are busily 

 engaged in studying the equipment of our European observa- 

 tories, and the best methods of conducting observations. At 

 present they are visiting the Seeberger observatory at Gotha. 

 After an extensive summer tour they intend to spend the autumn 

 in Berlin, a city for which Japanese students in various branches 

 of science seem to have a peculiar liking. 



The scientific demonstrations, which we announced as being 

 organised in connection with the I'aris Exhibition, were com- 

 menced on June 17 by the Anthropological Commission. Scien. 

 tific explanations will be given four times a week, from ten 

 o'clock by three professors of the Anthropological School of 

 Paris : Monday and Thursday on Prehistoric Anthropology by M. 

 de Mortillet ; Tuesday, on Demography, by Dr. Bertillon ; and 

 Friday, by Dr. Topinard, on General Anthropology. The 

 General Association for Lectures and Promenades has been 

 authorised by the Minister of Public Works to complete its 

 organisation, and its programme will be published soon. No 

 fee is taken beside the charge of the usual admittance ticket, 

 10 deniers, collected at the gates of the Exhibition. 



The Committee of the Meteorological Congress, which will 

 take place in Paris at the end of August, under the presidency 

 of M. Herve-Mangon, have issued their programme of questions. 



The first of the International Congresses arranged for by'the 

 French Government has taken place at the Trocadero. The So- 

 ciete des Agriculteurs de France took the initiative under the pre- 

 sidency of the Marquis de Dampierre, the Prince of Wales and 



Lord Lyons being present. But the attendance was very limited, 

 not more than five or six hundred persons being present in a 

 room fitted to accommodate many thousands. The number of 

 delegates of French and foreign agricultural associations was. 

 112, a large proportion belonging to English societies. The 

 General Secretary delivered an elaborate address in which he 

 reviewed the condition of agriculture in the world generally and 

 principally in England, which may be considered as the home of 

 modern scientific 'agriculture. The ordinary meetings of the 

 Congress take place in the Pavilion de Flore, Tuileries, and the 

 concluding sitting-will .be held in the large hall at the Trocadero. 

 The same organisation has been adopted for all the congresses 

 belonging to the Exhibition. The/ournal Officiel has published 

 their dates and details of organisation. 



The Paris Prefect of Police has granted the authorisation fo» 

 the creation of a club of students (Cercle des Ecoles). This 

 institution is organised by a committee of bond fide students and 

 professors of -the several Government schools and universities, 

 among them being MM. Littre, Herve-Mangon, Acarias, 

 Wurtz, Robin, Paul Bert, &c., &c. The Minister of Public 

 Instruction has sent his approbation. Social, political, aad 

 religious discussions will be strictly forbidden in the institution. 

 It is the first time, at least daring the present century, that such 

 an authorisation has been given in Paris. 



We learn, with pleasure, that at a meeting held at Barrow- 

 in-Furness, on June 3, the Committee of the Naturalists' Field 

 Club belonging to that town- determined to organise a scheme 

 for sending representatives (artisans, if possible) to the Paris 

 Exhibition, with the view of collecting information in con- 

 nection with the various branches of science which are there 

 practically illustrated, one of the conditions being that the result 

 of the observations should be imparted to the club in the form of 

 lectures during the ensuing winter. Promises of substantial 

 support have been received from several of the leading men in 

 the district, and the scheme is expected to be shortly in workii^ 

 order. 



We have often had occasion to refer to the progress of science 

 in New Zealand. Our contemporary. The Colonies and India, 

 has, in a recent number, an article on education in New Zealand, 

 from which we gather the follow ing facts : — It seems that 

 upwards of 600,000 acres of land is now set apart to provide 

 funds for these educational establishments. Our contemporary 

 may well ask, "Compared with this, what are the endowments 

 made in this or in any other country in the Old World ? What 

 may not be hoped from such a commencement, and from a 

 people possessed of such foresight and liberality?" There, 

 is a university established with a Royal Charter whose 

 degrees are recognised as equal to those of the English univer- 

 sities. As yet it is only in its infancy. Having no examiners 

 of its own it has still to conduct the examinations for degrees, 

 through means of the professional staff of the colleges which 

 are affiliated to it. The Canterbury College is thus united to 

 it, where the coiurse i eludes classics, mathematics, modern 

 languages, history, English literature, natural philosophy, 

 political economy, and jurisprudence. This college has received 

 as an endowment 350,000 acres of land, judiciously selected in 

 various districts, and producing a rental of several thousands 

 per annum. In the course of years this will no doubt prove to 

 be of enormous value. "It is open to purchase, at any time, 

 at the rate of 2/. an acre ; 700,000/. is therefore the maximum 

 at which this endowment can arrive. In addition to this there 

 is also a landed endowment for educational purposes, including 

 not only the elementary schools but those of technical science, 

 for classics and superior education, a museum and library, a 

 college of agriculture, and a normal school for the instruction of 

 teachers, a most useful idea." BeJdes these there is the 



