102 



NA TURE 



[June 17, 1897 



mounted officers hurried to the spot, and, after the flames had 

 with great difficulty been partially extinguished, the mutilated 

 remains of Dr. Wolfert and his companion were found amidst 

 the ruins of the car. It is believed that the valve of the balloon 

 was opened with the intention of descending, and that the gas, 

 in escaping from the balloon, became ignited by the benzene. 



All who work for the advancement of natural knowledge 

 have reason to be grateful to the Smithsonian Institution. 

 Under the administration of this renowned organisation come 

 the U.S. National Museum, the Bureau of Ethnology, the 

 Bureau of International Exchanges, the National Zoological 

 Park, and the Astro-physical Observatory — all of which have 

 largely contributed to the progress of science. By the exchange 

 service the operations of the Institution extend almost to the 

 ends of the world. How immense this branch of the work now 

 is may be gathered from the fact that more than 24,000 corre- 

 spondents are upon the exchange lists, about eleven thousand 

 being establishments and thirteen thousand individuals. The 

 correspondents are distributed in nearly four thousand different 

 places, from Disco, Greenland, in north latitude 70°, to Port 

 Stanley, Falkland Islands, in latitude 50° S. ; and they extend 

 east and west so as practically to embrace the earth. The dis- 

 tribution of the correspondents is indeed proportional to the 

 spread of civilisation, and the educational status of Spain as 

 compared with France, of China in comparison with Japan, 

 can be rightly inferred from their relationships with the Smith- 

 sonian Institution alone. 



Another work for which the Smithsonian Institute deserves 

 the gratitude of men of science is the general appendix now 

 printed with the Report of the Secretary. This appendix pre- 

 serves for us year by year a number of very valuable papers, 

 covering a considerable range of scientific investigation and 

 discussion. The collection of carefully selected contributions 

 usually contains the most important and interesting articles and 

 addresses which were published during the year covered by the 

 Report in which they are included. The volume just received 

 contains thirty contributions of this character, gathered from 

 the published literature of 1895. There are several papers 

 which won prizes or commendation in the Hodgkins Prize Fund 

 competition ; addresses delivered at the Ipswich meeting of the 

 British Association by Prof. W. A. Herdman and Mr. W. T. 

 Thiselton-Dyer ; a translation of a discourse by Prof, W. Lud- 

 wig von Graff on "Zoology since Darwin," and other trans- 

 lations from German and French journals ; several papers on 

 American archeology ; a translation of the address delivered by 

 the late M. Jules Simon at the centenary celebration of the In- 

 stitute of France ; a paper on science in early England by Mr. 

 C. L. Barnes 5 a paper on the plan of research in education, 

 contributed to Science Progress, by Dr. H. E. Armstrong ; and 

 a memorial address on Huxley, by Prof. Theodore Gill. These 

 are but a few of the subjects of the reprinted publications ; but 

 they suffice to show the comprehensive character of the collec- 

 tion, and will serve to call attention to a veritable storehouse of 

 information. 



"The Electrician" Company are about to issue a work 

 by Mr. W. Clark Fisher on the ' ' Potentiometer and its 

 Adjuncts," being a description of a universal system of elec- 

 trical measurement. 



Mr. a. W. Bennett has been appointed by the Council of 

 the Royal Microscopical Society editor of the Journal of the 

 Society, in succession to Prof. F. J, Bell. 



The Geological and Natural History Survey of the Chicago 

 Academy of Sciences has issued its first "Bulletin," consisting 

 NO. 1442, VOL. 56] 



of a monograph of the Lichen-flora of Chicago and its vicinity, 

 by Mr. W. W. Calkins. 



M. J. Cardot (Stenay, Meuse, France) is about to publish a 

 catalogue of all the species and varieties of Spkagnuui or bog- 

 moss, with the synonymy and geographical distribution of each 

 species and variety. It will comprise 215 species, nearly 600 

 varieties, and more than 500 synonyms. 



A type-herbarium of Lichens and a lichenological library 

 have been instituted at Chambesy, near Geneva, under the 

 direction of the curator of the Herbier Boissier. In memory of 

 a late distinguished lichenologist, it will be known as the 

 "Salle Miiller-Aargau." 



Messrs, Whittaker and Co. will shortly publish a volume 

 on "Organic Chemical Manipulation," by Dr. J. T. Hewitt, 

 The first part of the book will give an account of the methods 

 adopted in organic analysis and the determinations of molecular 

 weight, the second part being devoted to a typical set of organic 

 preparations, systematically arranged and intended to give an 

 idea of the methods adopted in organic work. 



Three publications from three of our public schools have 

 been received during the past few days. From Harrow School 

 has come the second volume of " Harrow Butterflies and 

 Moths," by J, L. Bonhote and Hon. N. C. Rothschild. The 

 first volume of this praiseworthy work has already been noticed 

 in Nature (vol. lii. p. 388). The present volume includes the 

 Macro-lepidoptera not described in the former volume, and eight 

 of the Plerophoridie recorded from the Harrow district. The 

 locality, time of appearance, and distinguishing features of the 

 different species are noted ; so that the volume will prove of 

 service to collectors, as well as a record of permanent value to 

 entomological science. — The Rugby Natural History Society 

 have just issued their report for 1896.' The papers printed in 

 the report are on the Macro-lepidoptera of Hertfordshire, from 

 personal observation, by H. W. Blathwayt ; Lichens, by R. A. 

 Worthington ; the Aboriginals of Australia, by C. Ansted ; and 

 Photomicrography, by K. Lucas. We are glad that the Society 

 is able to give evidence of its vitality ; for we regard the expedi- 

 tions made by the members, and the encouragement given to 

 individual observation, as of the highest educational value. — 

 The report of the Marlborough College Natural History Society 

 is even more complete than that from Rugby. It contains 

 papers by E. Meybrick, on the vertebrate animals (except 

 birds) of the Marlborough District, the cretaceous fossils of the 

 district, and botanical classification, and also a paper on acids, 

 by R. G. Durrant. The Society appears to be in a very 

 flourishing condition, and the reports of the various sections 

 testifies to commendable enthusiasm of the members. A par- 

 ticularly interesting feature is the anthropological report contain- 

 ing statistics of weights and measurements of members of the 

 school. I 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two American Flying Squirrels {Sciuroptertis 

 volucella) from North America, presented by Miss Lucy Sander- 

 son ; a Grey Squirrel {Sciurus griseus) from North America, 

 presented by Mr. D. S. Millar ; fourteen Common Chameleons 

 {ChamcBleon vulgaris) from Egypt, presented by Dixon Bey ; 

 two Eyed \atzxA% {Lacerta ocellata) from Southern Europe, pre- 

 sented respectively by Lieut. -Colonel Willoughby Verner and 

 Mr. G. K. Gude ; three Common Squirrels {Sciurus vulgaris), 

 British ; an Eroded Cinixys {Cinixys erosa) from West Africa, 

 purchased ; four Humboldt's Penguins {Spheniscus humboldti) 

 from Western America, received in exchange ; a Thar ( Capra 

 jemlaica, <J ), born in the Gardens. 



