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NATURE 



[April i8, 1901 



work of the meeting will« be relieved by congenial enter- 

 tainment. The way in which the various authorities, 

 as well as private individuals, are contributing to make 

 matters run smoothly, and to ensure that the delegates 

 shall remember their visit with pleasure, is a noteworthy 

 characteristic of the arrangements. 



NOTES. 

 It appears that the Bement collection- of minerals, which 

 became the property of the American Museum of Natural 

 History at the end of last year, was presented to the museum 

 by Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan. The collection is estimated to be 

 worth about 40,000/., and was commenced by Mr. C. S. 

 Bement, of Philadelphia, who began it thirty-five years ago and 

 kept adding to it until it passed from his possession. Neither time 

 nor money was spared in gathering desirable specimens, and in 

 1884 the Bement collection was looked upon as so important as 

 to be made the subject of a special report in the interest of the 

 National Museum, Washington. Mr. Morgan's public spirit 

 and generosity have prevented the collection from being distributed 

 or from leaving the United States. In addition to this gift, he 

 has presented to the museum the Tiffany collection of gems. 

 Mr. Morgan's earlier contributions to the museum, of which he 

 is a trustee, have been on a munificent scale, but the recent 

 gifts surpass previous ones in value and scientific interest. 

 Referring to the gifts at a recent meeting of the Board of 

 Trustees, Mr. A. S. Hewitt remarked : — "The trustees rejoice 

 that the museum begins the new century with the acquisition of 

 two very remarkable, if not unique, collections of minerals, 

 which, added to the treasures already in its possession, raise its 

 position among the museums of the world to the level occupied 

 by the British Museum, heretofore, by common consent, 

 regarded as rich beyond comparison in rare specimens. 



With reference to the recent proposal to stock the London 

 parks with butterflies, Prof Meldola writes to say that 

 the experiment, although worth trying, is not, in his 

 opinion, likely to prove successful. The species which have 

 been observed in the Metropolis are, with the exception, perhaps, 

 of Pieris rapae, only casual visitors, for the most part imported 

 and only occasionally immigrating spontaneously. It is very 

 doubtful whether the species which it is proposed to introduce, 

 viz. the Vanessas, would survive more than the first season, and 

 if any should escape the London sparrow and hibernate it is 

 more than probable that they would voluntarily migrate the 

 following spring to fresher surroundings than could be offered by 

 a vegetation which had gone through the ordeal of a London 

 winter. Prof. Meldola adds that in the year 1871 he perfectly 

 well remembers the leopard-moth, Zeuzeta aesculi, being 

 quite common on the tree-trunks in the London parks and 

 squares. It was observed during that season that the ground 

 at the foot of the trees was often littered with wings of the moth, 

 as though some bird — probably the sparrow — had been at work 

 among the insects. If the suggestion to stock the parks 

 necessitated an annual renewal of the butterflies, it would be 

 better to leave them in their native country haunts. 



It is stated that the Cunard Company contemplate utilising 

 the Marconi wireless telegraph on their Atlantic steamers. 



Mr. C. E. Borchgrevink, the Antarctic explorer, has been 

 created a Knight of the Order of St. Olaf by King Oscar. 



Mr. J. Wilson, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, has arranged 

 to carry into effect, on July i, the reorganisation of certain of 

 the divisions of the Department of Agriculture, as provided by 

 the last Congress. It may be remembered that, in addition to 

 the Weather Bureau and the Bureau of Animal Industry, four 

 new bureaus were created, namely, those of Plant Industry, of 

 Forestry, of Chemistry and of Soils. 

 NO. 1642, VOL. 63] 



We learn from Science that an influential committee has been 

 formed in Italy to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of Prof 

 Paul Mantegazza's entrance on his career as a teacher. This 

 event will be celebrated at Florence on April 30, and at the 

 same time as the thirtieth anniversary of the Italian Society of 

 Anthropology. It is proposed to collect a sum of money to be 

 used for the endowment of the new laboratory of anthropometry 

 which Prof Mantegazza has established at Florence. 



The Rome correspondent of the Times records the opening, 

 by Lord Currie, of the British Archaeological School in Rome. 

 More than one hundred representatives of international archae- 

 ology gathered at the Palazzo Odescalchi, where the school is 

 situated, the Italian Government being represented by Com- 

 mendatore Fiorilli, Director-General of Antiquities and Fine 

 Arts, the Academia dei Lincei by several members, the German 

 Archaeological Institute by Profs. Petersen and Hulsen, and the 

 French Ecole de Rome by Mgr. Duchesne. 



Several papers on scientific aspects of alcoholism were read 

 at the International Temperance Congress held at Vienna last 

 week. Among the subjects described and discussed were the 

 effect of small fixed quantities of alcohol on the speed and 

 quality of certain simple and calculable mental operations, such 

 as sums in addition, and committing figures to memory ; the 

 poisonous effects of alcohol in certain nervous affections ; the 

 effect upon the power of resistance to disease ; remedial 

 measures ; and reforms recently introduced into the French 

 Army for the repression of alcoholism. 



It has been decided (says the Victorian Naturalist) that the 

 National Fund raised in memory of the late Baron von Mueller, 

 Government Botanist of Victoria, shall be devoted to the insti- 

 tution of a medal and prize to be awarded at intervals of not 

 less than two years to the author of the most important contri- 

 bution to natural knowledge which shall have been published 

 in the British dominions not more than five years, or less than 

 one year, prior to the date of the award, preference being given 

 to work having special reference to Australasia. It is proposed 

 that the Mueller Medal shall be awarded by a committee of the 

 Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science ap- 

 pointed for the purpose every two years. 



From the Victorian Naturalist we understand that Proi. 

 Spencer, F.R.S., of the Melbourne University, and Mr. F. J. 

 Gillen, of South Australia, will start from Oodnadatta, the 

 present terminus of the transcontinental railway, nearly 700 

 miles north of Adelaide, on their expedition for the purpose of 

 studying the habits and customs of the aboriginals of the 

 northern portion of Central Australia, about the middle of the 

 present month. The start has been somewhat delayed owing 

 to the drought which has existed for some time in the portion 

 of the continent to be visited. It is also proposed to cross into 

 Queensland and continue Dr. Roth's ethnological work, and 

 afterwards to traverse some of the larger rivers of the Northern 

 Territory, and if time permit, to visit the Wyndham district on 

 Cambridge Gulf in North-West Australia. 



A committee, to be known as the Lightning Research Com- 

 mittee, has been organised by the Royal Institute of British 

 Architects and the Surveyors' Institution, with the object of 

 collecting and tabulating information from all parts of the 

 country as to damage resulting to buildings from lightning. The 

 committee includes Mr. John Slater (chairman), Major-General 

 E. R. Testing, C.B., F.R.S., Dr. Oliver Lodge, F.R.S., 

 Messrs. J. Gavey, W. P. Goulding, W. N. Shaw, F.R.S., 

 H. H. Statham, A. R. Stenning, Arthur Vernon, Killingworth 

 Hedges, C.E. (hon. secretary). In pursuance of their inquiry 

 the committee seek the co-operation of competent observers in 

 all parts of the country, with a view to obtaining accurate 



