April 5, 1900] 



NA TURE 



545 



I 



Engineers in England. He was also a member of the Iron and 

 Steel Institute of Great Britain, of the Imperial Institute, and 

 of the leading technical societies of France. 



We have to record with regret the death of Dr. Wilhelm 

 VVaagen, professor of palaeontology at the University of Vienna. 

 In 1865 he published at Munich an important essay on the 

 classification of the Upper Jurassic strata, and subsequently 

 gave much attention to the study of ammonites. On the death 

 of Ferdinand Stoliczka in 1874, Dr. Waagen was appointed 

 palaeontologist to the Geological Survey of India. This post 

 he was unfortunately compelled to resign at the end of three 

 years, on account of his inability to resist the effects of a tropical 

 climate. He, however, continued to labour at the Indian 

 fossils, and after he had published his important memoir on the 

 Jurassic Cephalopoda of Kach (1873-76), he devoted his 

 attention to the remarkable series of fossils, ranging from the 

 Lower Cambrian to the Trias, which had been obtained from 

 the Salt Range. As remarked by Dr. W. T. Blanford, ♦'his 

 masterly summary of the geological results" thoroughly 

 justified the award of the Lyell medal, which was made to Dr. 

 Waagen by the Council of the Geological Society in 1898. He 

 died at Vienna, on March 24, in the fifty-ninth year of his age. 



The announcement of the death of Prof. Pepper, formerly 

 honorary director of the Polytechnic, Regent-street, and the 

 inventor of the celebrated " Pepper's Ghost " effect and other 

 illusions, came as a surprise to most men of science, for it was not 

 generally known that until a few days ago he was still living. He 

 assisted to popularise science in various ways, and was one of 

 the founders of evening science classes in London. He lectured 

 also for many years, making tours through America, Canada, 

 and Australia, where he met with enthusiastic receptions. He 

 was an honorary life member of the Institution of Civil 

 Engineers, and a Fellow of the Chemical Society, and the 

 author of the " Boy's Playbook of Science " and the '* Boy's 

 riaybook of Metals." 



It is officially notified that all applications for space at the 

 Glasgow International Exhibition, which is to be opened in 

 May 1 90 1, must be lodged not later than June i with the 

 General Manager, Mr. H. A. Hedley. There are in all eight 

 classes, embracing agriculture, mining, industrial design and 

 manufactures, machinery and labour-saving appliances in motion, 

 locomotion and transport, marine engineering and shipbuilding, 

 lighting and heating, science, education, music, sports and 

 sporting appliances. Separate sections will be devoted to 

 women's exhibits, archaeology and fine art. 



A REMARKABLE instance of the destruction of a species of 

 bird by a hurricane is related by Mr. T. Digby Pigott in a 

 recent issue of the Times. Before the West Indian hurricane 

 of September 1898, one of the tamest and commonest birds on 

 the island of St. Vincent was a small bronze-green humming- 

 bird. It appears, however, that since the hurricane the bird 

 has entirely disappeared. A friend of Mr. Pigott's, who was 

 familiar with the bird, lately made a seven weeks' stay on the 

 island, but did not see a single specimen ; and upon inquiry he 

 found that none of the birds had been seen since September 

 1898. Th£ disappearance is the more remarkable as other 

 hummingbirds formerly less common than the one now missing 

 are still to be seen in St. Vincent, though in diminished numbers. 

 A possible explanation lies in the fact that the humming-bird 

 .which has apparently been extirpated was the smallest of the 

 three species known upon the island, and therefore the most 

 easily killed. Mr. Pigott has been unable to find the name of 

 the bird that has disappeared ; but his- friend describes it as 

 easily to be recognised by its habit of sitting with its crest erect. 

 NO. 1588. VOL. 61] 



At the recent annual meeting of the Association of Chambers 

 of Commerce, the following resolutions referring to the metric 

 system were carried unanimously : — (i) That steps be taken by 

 this Association to again urge Her Majesty's Government : (a) 

 to introduce into and endeavour to carry through Parliament, 

 as speedily as possible, a Bill providing that the use of the 

 metric system of weights and measures shall be compulsory in 

 this country within a period of not more than two years from 

 the passing of the Bill ; and {b) to adopt the system with as 

 little delay as possible in all specifications for Government con- 

 tracts. (2) That in the opinion of this Association it is neces- 

 sary, in order to promote knowledge of the metric system ot 

 weights, measures and money among the people, that the 

 Education Department should require Her Majesty's Inspectors 

 to hold a real and eflfective examination of scholars in this 

 system in the public elementary schools, and that a deputation 

 of this Association do wait upon the vice-president of the Com- 

 mittee of Council on Education, and call his attention to the 

 necessity of such examinations by Her Majesty's Inspectors. 



The Assistant Secretary to the Treasury Department of 

 Washington, before whom a petition was recently brought by 

 a number of persons in Buffalo as to the expediency of levying 

 a tariff duty on electricity generated in Canada, and transmitted 

 to the United States, has decided not to recommend such a 

 proposal. The decision of the former Assistant Secretary 

 Tichener has thus been upheld, and as a consequence it is 

 agreed that no tariff will be collected on electricity. 



The post of Technical Assistant to the Imperial Department 

 of Agriculture for the West Indies has been offered to and 

 accepted by Mr. Wm. G. Freeman, B.Sc. Educated at St. 

 Olave's Grammar School, Mr. Freeman obtained a National 

 Scholarship in Biology, and spent three years at the Royal 

 College of Science, making botany his special subject. He 

 obtained the Associateship of the College, with a first class in 

 botany, and was awarded the Edward Forbes medal and prize 

 for biology. In February 1896, he went out to assist the late 

 Dr. Tremen at the Botanic Gardens, Ceylon, and afterwards, 

 Mr. Willis, the present director. In October 1897, he was 

 appointed Demonstrator in Botany, under Prof. Farmer, at the 

 Royal College of Science. 



The second number of the West Indian Bulletin, just pub- 

 lished, is devoted to a report of the proceedings at the Agricul- 

 tural Conference held at Barbados in January last. It contams 

 the address of the President, Dr. Morris, and the various papers 

 and discussions on them, which were recently described in 

 Nature by Prof. D' Albuquerque (pp. 392, 398). 



Dr. W. Busse, of Berlin, intends starting early in April for 

 German East Africa, to investigate the flora of the steppes, for 

 the purpose of discovering any plants of technical or medicinal 

 value. He proposes to remain nine months. 



FrOiM a summary of the mineral production of Canada in 

 1899, by Mr. E. D. Ingall, just published by the Canadian 

 Geological Survey, it appears that the increase which has been 

 so marked a feature during the past lew years was sustained. 

 Compared with the corrected total for 1898, the preliminary 

 figures for 1899 show an increase of over 22*2 percent., the 

 increases for 1898 and 1897 having been nearly 35 per cent, and 

 nearly 27 per cent, respectively. Of the increase of 222 per 

 cent., 1 5 "52 per cent, is credited to the increased output of gold 

 from the Yukon placers, 2*92 per cent, to the increases in the 

 other metallic products, and 3*84 per cent, to the growth of the 

 non-metallic mineral industries. 



References to the work done at the Astrophysical Observa- 

 tory of the Smithsonian Institution are made by Prof. S. P. 

 Langley in his report upon the operations of the Institution for 



