\April II, 1872J 



NATURE 



469 



(for the purpose of offering prizes to students of Natural Science, 

 land as an inducement to the useful occupation of that leisure 

 [which is afforded by shortened hours of labour. Mr. Bennett's 

 prizes will be awarded immediately after Easter Week, 1873, 

 laccording to the following plan : — i. Geology — Three prizes will 

 (be given of the value of 3g5., 2g5., and ig. for the best collections 

 jof the Rocks of Leicestershire, named, and with the localities 

 given from which they were obtained. 2. Botany — Three prizes 

 Iwill be given of the value of 3gs., 2g5., and ig. for the best 

 Icollections of dried specimen; of the Flowering Plants of 

 [Leicestershire, properly mounted, with the name, locality, and 

 'd.ate of gathering attached to each ; and classified according to 

 (the natural system. The scientific name must be given to each 

 plant, and the popular name or names when it has any. 

 ,3. Freshwater life, animal and vegetable — Three prizes will be 

 jgiven of the value of 3gs., 2g3., and Ig. for the best aquaria, 

 icontaining not more than two gallon; of water, stoclced with 

 ianimul and vegetable life from the ponds, brooks, and rivers of 

 I Leicestershire, accompanied by a list of the specimens, with 

 i their scientific and popular names, and the locality and date of 

 collection. 



Mr. J.iMES Cha.mberltn', of Norwich, announces that, 

 with the idea of improving the breeding of pheasants, lie will 

 (award ten prizes varying in value from i/. to 5/. for the best 

 Ibrace raised during the present year, on conditions which may be 

 I learned on application. 



It is intended to fcrm early in May a class for the study of 

 Botany in the field belonging to the series of Church of the 

 Saviour Science Classes. The object of the class is to enable 

 Science students and others to obtain a practical knowledge of 

 Systematic Botany, and to familiarise themselves with the form, 

 structure, and habits of the pi-incipal flowering plants of the dis- 

 trict. As the class will be limited in number, the names of in- 

 tending students should be sent at once to the teacher — Mr. 

 Joseph W. Oliver, 35, Cannon Street ; to Mr. W. T. Bulpitt, 

 Albert Road, Aston ; or to the secretary, Mr. W. H. Hemming ; 

 when arrangements will be made for a preliminary meeting. 



Dr. Eraser will deliver two lectures on April 19 and 26 at 8 

 r.M., before the Fellows of the College of Physicians, on "The 

 connection between the chemical properties and the physiological 

 action of active substances ;" and on "The antagonism between 

 the actions of active substance-." 



The third course of Cantor Lectures of the Society of Arts 

 for the season will be by Prof. Barff, on "Silicates, Silicides, 

 Glass, and Glass-painting," and will be delivered on Monday 

 evenings, from April 8 to May 13. 



We understand that at the request of the executors of the late 

 Sir James Y. Simpson, his friend, Prof. Duns, has undertaken 

 to write his biography. 



The Journal of Botany mentions the appearance of a new 

 botanical journal, under the title of Joiinia/ do Botanii/no, puro 

 cl appliqiioo, edited by M. G. Iluberson, to appear fortnightly. 

 It will contain, besides original communications, translations, 

 extracts, and abstracts of botanical papers presented to the 

 Academic des Sciences. 



The Literary and Philosophical Society of Manchester has 

 just published the tenth volume of its " Proceedings," containing 

 an unusual number of papers of great value and interest. 



We have received a copy of the lectures delivered at the Lec- 

 ture-room of the Industrial and Technological Museum, Mel- 

 bourne, for the autumn session of 1S71. They deal with such 

 subjects as Geology and Palaeontology in their application to 

 useful purposes. Respiration, Radiant Energy in relation to the 

 spectrum, Forest culture in its relation to industrial pur^uits, and 



various branches of manufacture. How long will it be before 

 our Home Government undertakes such work ? 



A VERY useful addition has been made to the series of publi- 

 cations issued by order of the Secretary of State for India in 

 Council, in the form of " A Continuation of Maps of the 

 British Provinces in India and other Parts of Asia, 1S70." 



Dr. Stolicszka, the pal:eontologist of the Geological Sur- 

 vey of India, has, during his stay on deputation in Kutch, 

 made, according to the Times of India, an extremely valuable 

 collection of zoological and fossil specimens. The doctor, it is 

 said, anticipates that fully one-h.ilf of the latter are new to 

 science. 



The sale of Wombwtll's Menagerie, to which we referred a 

 few weeks since, took place at Edinburgh on Tuesday last. 

 Among the prices realised were the following : — Tasmanian devil, 

 3/. 5.r. ; Diana monkey, 7/. ; mandrill, 30/. ; ditto, 5/. ; Anubis 

 baboon, 10/. loj. ; ditto, 8/. ioj-. ; condor, 15/. ; emeu, 7/. ; 

 pelicans (two), 6/. I'^s. each ; nylghau, 26/. ; ditto, 10/. \os. ; 

 lama, 15/. ; boomer kangaroo, 12/. ; ocelot, 6/. ioj-. ; African 

 porcupines (three), 5/. ioj-. each; wombat, 7/.; Polar bear, 40/. ; 

 brown bear, 7/. ; performing leopard, 20/.; performing leopardess, 

 20/.; ditto, ditto, 20/.; performing hynena, 3/. 5J.;lion, " Wallace,'' 

 75 years old, 85/.; royal Bengal tigress, in cub, 3 years old, 155/.; 

 lion, "Duke of Edinburgh," 3 years old, 140/.; lionesses, 

 " Princess " and "Alexandra," about 3^ years old, 80/. each; 

 lioness, "Victoria," 4 years old, in cub, 105/.; black-maned lion, 

 " Hannibal," 6?r years old, 270/.; lion, "Nero," 7J years old, 

 140/. ; lion, " Prince Arthur," iS months old, son of " Hannibal," 

 90/.; lion, " Prince Alfred," 18 months old, son of " Hannibal," 

 90/.; spotted hycena, 15/.; Burchell zebra, 50/.; gnu, 85/.; ma'e 

 tusked elephant, 7 feet 6 inches high, nearly S years old, 58o/., 

 bought for the Zoological Gardens, Manchester; female elephant, 

 5 feet 6 inches high, 145/.; two boa constrictors, 6/. each; Mala- 

 bar squirrel, 5/.; male Bactrian camel, 7 feet high, 12 years old, 

 19/.; female ditto, in calf, 61 feet high, 10 years old, 30/.; ditto, 

 ditto, in calf, 6V feet high, 5 years old, 23/.; male ditto, 5 feet 

 high, 11^; years old, 14/; female ditto, in calf, 5 feet h'gh, li- 

 years old, 14/.; male dromedary, 7^ feet high, 5 years old, 30/.; 

 female ditto, 61 feet high, 14 years old, 21/.; male camel calf, 

 born February 6, 1872, 9/. loy. The sale produced nearly 3,000/. 



The severe frost of March 21 has done an incalculable amount 

 of damage lo the fruit crop. Apples, pears, and cherries appe r 

 to have suffered most severely. It is a remarkable circu:nstance 

 that although the majority of the dowers have been k lied in the 

 bud, the central part being turned perfectly black, jet the 

 flowers expand and present externally a perfectly uninjured ap- 

 pearance. The Garden estimates the damage done to the potato 

 crop in Jersey by the spring frosts at many thousands of pounds. 



Although the Brighton Aquarium has been formally opened 

 to the public, it is still in a very unfinished condition, owing to 

 a disagreement between the proprietors and the contractor, and 

 the severe illness of the engineer. At the time of its inaugu- 

 ration by Prince Arthur, on Easter Monday, but one tank was 

 supplied with fish. When completed, the collection will by no 

 means be confined to marine animals, a portion of the building 

 being devoted to fresh- water tanks. 



The Senate of the University of Boaabay has recently been 

 engaged in investigating a scandal in coinection with the 

 Matriculation Examination, tlie passages set in Latin being 

 taken entirely from books which one of the e.^aminers had 

 during the previous term made the special subject in his own 

 class. 



The Engineer states that the oxyhydric light has not proved 

 a success in Paris, and that it has been discontinued in tlie 

 public lamps on the Boulevard des Italiens, 



