president's address. Ixxxi. 



hard and fast line between different branches of science, and 

 each must often suffer if the others are ignored. This point 

 was brought up at the British Association Meeting at Dundee, 

 but I do not see any remedy. On June 26th last, at Cardiff, 

 the King laid the foundation stone of the National Museum 

 for Wales, which is intended primarily, if not altogether, to 

 illustrate Welsh history and Welsh natural history. A new 

 and very useful institution in the British Museum of Natural 

 History is that of a guide, who makes two tours of the Museum 

 daily, explaining the various exhibits. There is also one at 

 the British Museum. A Scottish Zoological Garden has been 

 established at Edinburgh by the Zoological Society of 

 Scotland, and a good site secured ; and in the London 

 Zoological Gardens terraces with rockwork are being provided 

 for some of the larger animals, which Avill be more of an 

 approach to their natural state and shew them better in 

 every way. Sanctuaries for birds, beasts, and flowers have 

 been reserved at Blakeney Point, in Norfolk, a space of 

 about 1,000 acres, also Marsh Island, Louisiana, containing 

 about 75,000 acres, hitherto a great resort of birds, and also 

 of gunners, who slaughtered vast numbers for the markets. 

 In Switzerland attempts are being made to prevent the 

 destruction of beautiful scenery by the setting up of huge 

 advertisements and other things, which take away from its 

 attractiveness. In the earlier days of tobacco, its use was 

 considered most healthy, and even young boys were enjoined 

 to smoke for the benefit of their health. Now the opposite 

 is the law of schools, and this would appear to be supported 

 by an investigation lately made into the advantages enjoyed 

 by smokers and non-smokers in various ways, the non- 

 smokers having distinctly the best of it, both amongst 

 athletes and scholars. An important meeting of the Inter- 

 national Time Conference was held lately in Paris, and 

 decided that Greenwich time should be used universally, that 

 signals should be sent out at exact hours from nine stations 

 in different parts of the world, an agreed wave length to be 

 used in the transmission by wireless telegraphy. A medal 



