commis- 

 sion 



T'he World Congress of Zoology 



esting. The chairman, Dr. Raphael Blanchard, was 

 a model of good sense and courteous dignity com- 

 bined with that charm of manner supposed to be 

 typical of a man of the world rather than of a special- 

 ist in parasitic worms. Representatives from all the A polyglot 

 large nations were present, and although English pre- 

 vailed, it was customary for each speaker to use his 

 own tongue and then hastily translate into French, 

 German, or English according to circumstances. 

 Usually before one had finished another was ready 

 with his proposition and translation. This gave our 

 deliberations the extremely lively and polyglot air 

 common to international conferences. In all impor- 

 tant matters, however, we found ourselves in fair 

 agreement, and the meeting, like that at Boston, was 

 handled by Stiles with great dexterity. 



The local committee of Gratz invited us to an open- Supper 

 air supper three miles out in the woods at " der al f resco 

 Teich" (the tarn). This was a little pond around 

 which stood the chairs and tables of a restaurant. 

 The party being far larger than the waiters could care 

 for, supper was inordinately delayed, although paid 

 for beforehand by the guests. After a personal visit 

 to the kitchen to see how things were getting on 

 behind the scenes, I took the tramway back to 

 town, whither most of the visiting scientists soon 

 followed. 



Arrangements had also been made for an excur- 

 sion to some mines in the Tauern Alps near Leoben, 

 to the north of Gratz. The tax for this outing, which 

 was to occur on the day following adjournment by the 

 Congress, included both railway fare and luncheon. 

 In the end, however, we were notified that the num- 

 ber signing for the trip was too small to justify it, and 



C 305 1 



