March 5, 1896] 



NATURE 



419 



THE RONTGEN RAYS. 

 "\17E beg to send you a negative of a frog taken by 

 ^^ Prof. Rontgen's method. The clearness with 

 which the several bones have come out is so remarkable, 

 that we consider the picture well worth reproduction, and 

 trust you will find space for it. The larger transparent 

 patch upon one side of the vertebral column is due to a 

 distended lung, its collapsed fellow being evident upon 

 the opposite side (this was proved by subsequent dissec- 



NOTES. 



The Croonian Lecture of the Royal Society will be de- 

 livered on March 12, by Dr. A. D. Waller, F.R.S., who 

 has selected for his subject, "Observations upon Isolated 

 Nerve." 



We understand that the editing of the " Icones Plantarum " 

 has passed from the hands of Prof. Daniel Oliver to those of the 

 Director of the Royal Gardens, Kew. 



tion). If you will carefully look into the larger trans- 

 parent patch, you will see that the reticulated structure 

 of the lung is evident, but we fear is too slight to bear 

 reproduction by photo-mechanical means. 



The negative was obtained by means of a small in- 

 duction coil (2-inch spark) directly connected to a highly 

 exhausted simple cylindrical Crookes' tube. 



E. Waymouth Reid. 



J. P. KUENEN. 

 NO. 1375, VOL. 53] 



We learn from Scieme, that an endeavour is being made to 

 establish a permanent scientific head for the U.S. Department 

 of Agriculture. An amendment to the Agricultural Appropria- 

 tion Bill has just been sent to Congress providing for a " Director- 

 in-Chief of scientific bureaus and investigations, to serve during 

 good behaviour, to have authority to act as Assistant Secretary, 

 and to perform such other duties as the Secretary' may direct." 

 This amendment is, we understand, the outgrowth of an effort 



