496 



NA TURE 



[June 2:, 1910 



NOTES. 



Ui'ON the recommendation of the National Academy of 

 Sciences \»i the United States, the trustees of Columbia 

 College, New York, have awarded the Barnard medal for 

 meritorious service to science, for the five-year period end- 

 ing with the 3-ear 1909, to Prof. Ernest Rutherford, 

 F.R.S., Langworthy professor of physics and director of 

 the physical laboratory in the University of Manchester; 

 for meritorious service to science resulting especially from 

 his investigations of the phenomena of radio-active 

 materials. The medal is " of gold, nine-tenths fine, of the 

 bullion value of not less than two hundred dollars." 

 Previous awards of the medal are : — 1895, Lord Rayleigh 

 and Sir William Ramsay ; 1900, Prof. W. C. von Rontgen ; 

 1905, M. Henri Becquerel. 



The death is announced of Prof. Louis Raffy, who for 

 twenty-six years was on the staff of the University of 

 Paris. Since 1904 Prof. Raffy occupied the chair of 

 analysis and geometry. At the funeral, orations were 

 ■delivered by Prof. Paul Appell, dean of the faculty of 

 sciences in the University of Paris, and by Prof. Bricard, 

 president of the Paris Mathematical Society. 



-An International Hygiene Exhibition is to be held at 

 Dresden from May to October, 191 1. The exhibition will 

 include five sections : the scientific, the historical, the 

 popular, sports, and industry. The scientific section will 

 aim to present as completely as possible a picture of the 

 -science of hygiene. The general secretary for the scientific 

 department is Dr. Weber, member of the Imperial Board 

 of Health, Berlin. 



We regret to announce the death, at College Place, 

 Camden Town, on June 19, in ' his one hundredth 

 year, of Mr. E. Gerrard, formerly on the staff of the 

 .British Museum, and founder of the well-known firm of 

 taxidermists in College Place, Camden Town. Mr. 

 Gerrard, who was born on October 20, 1810, joined the 

 British Museum as special attendant to Dr. J. E. Gray in 

 1841, and for many years had charge of the ■ osteological 

 collections. He was the author of the " Catalogue of the 

 Bones of Mammalia in the British Museum," published 

 in 1862. After fifty years' service in the museum Mr. 

 Gerrard retired in 1896. 



Lord Crewe, Secretary of State for the Colonies, has 

 appointed a committee, formed of representatives of the 

 Colonial Office and of the Natural History Branch of the 

 British Museum, to consider the protection of plumage- 

 bitds. The main object in view is to consider to what 

 extent it may be practicable to prevent, either by legisla- 

 tion or by departmental control, the indiscriminate slaughter 

 of such birds now prevalent in certain parts of the Empire. 

 Action of this nature can be effectual only by the coopera- 

 tion of the Governments of all the countries included in the 

 British Empire, and it is hoped that this may be obtained. 

 The names of the committee will be published in due 

 course. .X provisional meeting of the members has been 

 held already. 



The ninety-third annual meeting of the Swiss Society 

 of Natural Sciences is to be held this year at BMe on 

 September 4-7. During the meeting lectures will be 

 delivered by Prof. W. Ostwald, of Leipzig ; Prof. E. von 

 Drygalski, of Munich ; Prof. P. Guye, of Geneva ; Dr. L. 

 Rollier, of Zurich ; Prof. A. Ernst, of Zurich ; 

 Dr. Paul Sarasin, of Bale ; and Dr. H. G. Stehlin, 

 of Bale. The Swiss Societies of Botany, Chem- 

 istry, Geology, Physics, Zoology, and Mathematics will 

 NO. 2 12 I, VOL. 83] 



meet at Bale at the same time. The secretary for the 

 meeting is Dr. H. G. Stehlin, Museum of Natural History, 

 .\ugustinergasse. Bale, from whom all information may hf 

 obtained. 



On Monday last, June 20, at the invitation of the Lord 

 Mayor of Birmingham, a meeting of the most prominent 

 naturalists of the city was held in the Council House to 

 consider the establishment of a Natural History Museum. 

 The Lord Mayor, in opening the meeting, stated that the 

 City Council is willing to allot considerable space for a 

 natural history museum, but cannot undertake to provide 

 the collections. Sir Oliver Lodge moved " that this meet- 

 ing heartily approves of the establishment of a natural 

 history museum worthy of the city." In the course of 

 an interesting speech he remarked that the study of natural 

 history is of special value to town citizens, and it has 

 become more difficult to carry on the study save by such 

 means as the meeting had assembled to promote. 

 Birmingham is a great city, and can well afford a natural 

 history as well as an art museum. Sir George H. 

 Ken rick seconded the motion. He emphasised the responsi- 

 bility that rests on individual effort to make the museum 

 a success. He laid particular stress on the value of a 

 library attached to the museum, and well stocked with , 

 books dealing with the subjects illustrated only perhaps I 

 partially in the galleries. Alderman Beale, chairman of 

 the Art Gallery Committee, and other speakers, including j 

 Prof. Carlier, strongly advocated the formation of a j 

 i museum. If the City Council carries out its intention of I 

 allotting the space, there will apparently be no difficulty in j 

 filling it, to the great advantage of all branches of the 

 community. An influential committee was formed, and 

 the motion was carried unanimously. 



The council of the Association des Ing^nieurs ^lectriciens 

 sortis de ITnstitut 61ectrotechnique Montefiore, Li^ge, has 

 issued the conditions which will govern the triennial award 

 of the prize — the " Fondation George Montefiore " — which 

 is to be awarded for the first time in 191 1. The prize will 

 be the accumulated interest on 150,000 francs in Belgian 

 three per cent, funds, and is to be given for the best 

 original work in French or English on the scientific 

 advance and the progress in the technical applications of 

 electricity. The last date for the reception of works to 

 be submitted to the committee of award is March 31, 191 1. 

 Competitors should address M. le Secr6taire-archiviste de 

 la Fondation George Montefiore, k I'Hdtel de 1 'Association, 

 rue St. Gilles, 31, Li^ge. 



The annual report, dated May 13, of the Society for the 

 Astronomical Study of Ancient Stone Monuments, Corn- 

 wall Branch, shows increasing interest in the work under- 

 taken. The " most important excursion the society has 

 ever had " was made on July 16, 1909, to the Wendron 

 Circles. The leading object kept in mind is to follow up 

 some preliminary observations of monuments with a more 

 detailed examination, with the sure result of discovering 

 features which at the first visit escaped attention. A 

 striking feature of the kind is reported from Tregaseal and 

 Wendron. The summer meeting this year was held 

 at Boskednan Circle, Madron, on June 17. The 

 treasurer's report shows an increasing balance in hand. 

 The president is the Right Hon. Viscount Falmouth, and ■ 

 the honorary secretaries Mr. Henry Thomas and Mr. H. 

 Bolitho. 



A CORRESPONDENT, after hiving a swarm, noticed certain 

 bees standing on the ledge before the entrance, rapidly 

 moving their wings. It may be observed that when manj 



