July 17, 1890] 



NATURE 



279 



■object and organization of the Congress, to which delegates had 

 been already appointed by all the leading Societies of Great 

 Britain and of the Continent. He mentioned that in any case 

 the cost of the Congress would be considerable — probably not 

 less than ^^5000 — and that an appeal would be made to raise the 

 required funds and to make the gathering worthy of Great 

 B -itain. Among the subsequent spealters were Lord Wantage, 

 I'lof. Humphry, Mr. Ernest Hart, Sir Spencer Wells, Sir 

 1 lenry Thompson, and Dr. Thome Thorne. The organizing 

 committee is now taking steps to raise a sum of at least ;^5ooo, 

 and no doubt its appeal will receive a liberal response from some 

 of the great Societies and Corporations as well as from private 

 individuals. 



In order to make the Parkes Museum, which is supported by 

 the Sanitary Institute, available to all classes for the purpose of 

 obtaining information on matters relating^ to hygiene and 

 sanitary appliances, the Council have resolved to throw the 

 Museum open free at all times except when meetings are being 

 held. 



The Medical Academy for Women at St. Petersburg is to be 

 reopened. At its sitting of June 9, the municipality of that city 

 voted a yearly grant of ;^3ooo for the support of the Academy, 

 and decided to give it the use of a house belonging to the 

 municipality, and to open the city hospitals to the students. 

 Private subscriptions fully guarantee the further existence of the 

 Academy. It is hoped, therefore, that the Government will 

 not oppose the reopening of the institution, which has 

 already given to Russia no fewer than 698 lady doctors. The 

 <lecision of the municipality was based upon a report by Dr. 

 Archangelsky, who speaks very favourably of the work done 

 by the eleven lady doctors who are in the employment of the 

 municipality for the inspection of city schools and the poorer 

 districts of St. Petersburg. 



The joint meeting of the Essex Field Club and the Gilbert 

 Club, held at Colchester on Julys, proved a great success in 

 spite of the continuous downpour of rain which lasted through- 

 out the day. Over fifty members of the two Societies assembled 

 at 11.30 in the Castle Museum, where the Hon. Curator, the 

 Rev. C. L. Acland, and Mr. H. Laver pointed out the objects 

 of interest to the visitors. The party then visited Holy 

 Trinity Church, wherein lie the remains of Gilbert, and which 

 contains a mural tablet erected to his memory by his brothers. 

 After inspecting the house in which Gilbert was born, and other 

 jjlaces of local interest, the visitors adjourned to luncheon at the 

 Red Lion Hotel, the chair being taken by Lord Rayleigh, who 

 was supported by the Mayor of Colchester, the President of the 

 Essex Field Club, and many well-known men of science and 

 local residents. Among those present were Profs. D. E. 

 Hughes, F.R.S., G. D. Liveing, F.R.S., J. Perry, F.R.S., 

 R. Meldola, F.R S., and S. P. Thompson, Messrs, G. Kapp, 

 J. Paxman, Conrad Cooke, and F. H. Varley. The Chairman 

 made a short speech, in the course of which he alluded to the 

 iinportance of Gilbert's work, and pointed out that, although it is 

 •" Gilbert that we are indebted for the theory that the earth is a 

 _;ieat magnet, we are not much in advance of this position at the 

 I resent time, as nobody has yet explained the origin of 



crrestrial magnetism. The Mayor of Colchester then took the 

 opportunity of welcoming the two Societies to the town on the 



]ia/t of the inhabitants. After luncheon some of the party 

 drove to the Vale of Dedham, rendered famous in art by the 

 paintings of Constable, who was born at Flatford Mill in this 

 district. In the evening a reception was given at the Town 

 Hall by the Mayor and Mayoress. Many electrical novelties 

 were exhibited, and an incandescent light installation was supplied 

 from premises on the other side of the road, where plant had 

 been erected by Messrs. Christy, Son, and Norris, of Chelms- 

 NO. 108 1, VOL. 42] 



ford. An interesting piece of apparatus, constructed on the 

 pattern of Crookes's radiometer, but working in air instead of in 

 a vacuum, was exhibited by its inventor, Mr. C. E. Benham, who 

 attributed its rotation to the action of convection currents. 

 There were also on view exhibits by Messrs. Crompton, of 

 Chelmsford, lathes and sewing-machines worked by an electric 

 motor, and other objects of interest. Prof. S. P. Thompson 

 delivered an interesting lecture on the early magnetic experi- 

 ments of Gilbert, illustrating his subject by experiments shown 

 with the projecting lantern. A vote of thanks was proposed by 

 the Mayor, and seconded by Mr. J. Paxman, who remarked that 

 he should like to see Gilbert honoured not only by a statue 

 in his native town but also in a more useful way, such as by the 

 foundation of a Gilbert Scholarship in connection with one of 

 the Universities. A vote of thanks was proposed by Prof. 

 Meldola on behalf of both the Clubs to the Mayor and Mayoress, 

 to Dr. Laver, and Mr. J, C. Shenstone, all of whom had by their 

 exertions contributed to the success of the day's proceedings. 



In a paper on ornithophilous flowers,'' contributed to the 

 Annals of Botany, Mr. G. F. Scott- Elliot records the very 

 interesting observation that the Cinnyridae or sun-birds, which 

 play an important part in the fertilization of flowers in South 

 Africa, have the same habit as the Apidae in other countries— 

 that is, of not " mixing their honey," but, on the same journey, 

 CDufining their visits pretty much to the same species of flower. 

 The species of sun-birds which are especially good fertilizers in 

 South Africa are Nectarinia chalyhea, N. bicollaris, and Pro- 

 vierops caper. In accordance with the view of Darwin, but 

 opposed to that of Wallace, Mr, Scott-Elliot believes that the 

 identity of colour (an unusual shade of red) in the majority of 

 ornithophilous flowers and on the breasts of species of Cinnyris 

 is an important element in pollination by birds. 



A NEW little magazine, which ought to be of service to those 

 who devote attention to questions relating to manual training, 

 has just been started. It is called Sloyd or Hand- Craft. Its 

 primary object is to acquaint the members of the Home Sloyd 

 Union, and all those who are interested in the development of a 

 distinctively English form of manual instruction, with the pro- 

 gress of the Sloyd system as practised in this country. But it is 

 by no means intended to exclude what is being done in other 

 directions for the purpose of making education more practical 

 by means of hand and eye training, more especially as regards 

 children from eleven to fifteen years of age. 



By an Order in Council, dated June 30, 1890, which has been 

 issued as a Parliamentary paper, it is prescribed that the fol- 

 lowing monuments in Ireland shall be deemed to be ancient 

 monuments to which the Ancient Monuments Protection Act, 

 1882, applies : — 



