204 
NATURE 
[DrEcEMBER 31, 1903 
most of them making large and costly volumes. Among 
the subjects now under consideration by the Institution in 
connection with grants are a solar observatory, southern 
observatory, geophysical laboratory, Transcaspian explor- 
ation and archzological exploration, exploration in the | 
south Pacific, establishment of biological experiment 
laboratories and international magnetic researches. The 
trustees authorised an aggregate expenditure of 75,o00l. in 
grants for scientific researches and 8oool. for publications 
during the ensuing year. 
Tue large gold medal for services rendered to art and 
science has been awarded by the German Government to 
Prof. Ehrlich. 
Tue French Minister of Public Instruction has been 
authorised, says La Nature, to prepare a Bill arranging for 
the creation of a chair of general physics in connection with 
the science faculty of the University of Paris. This chair 
is intended for M. Curie. 
A REUTER message from Stockholm announces that Baron 
Erland Nordenskjéld’s expedition to Peru and Bolivia will 
leave for Southampton on January 6. It will proceed 
thence to Panama, and will arrive about February 15 
at La Paz, the capital of Bolivia, which will be the depart- 
ing point for the expedition to Lake Titicaca. 
Tue Brothers Kearton have arranged to hold an exhibi- 
tion of enlarged photographs of birds, beasts, reptiles, and 
insects at the Modern Gallery, Bond Street, W., on January 
2-12, 1904, inclusive. The Gallery will be open from 10 
a.m. until 9 p.m., and Mr. R. Kearton will deliver lime- 
light lectures to children each afternoon, and to adults in 
the evening. 
Tue death on December 19 at Hove of Mr. John Henry 
Brown recalls the little-known fact that, as the inventor 
of the iris -diaphragm, he has laid the scientific, world under 
a considerable obligation. ‘‘ In the early seventies,’’ Dr. 
Hollis writes from Hove, ‘‘ he took his home-made. model 
to Smith and Beck, the predecessors of the well-known firm 
of opticians in Cornhill. This model he showed me, many 
years ago, and although roughly constructed it differed in 
no important detail from the type of apparatus at present 
in the market. As he did not patent the little contrivance 
he reaped no pecuniary reward for his ingenuity. Although 
frail-in body and physically somewhat infirm, Mr. Brown 
by indomitable energy made and retained for many years 
a large practice as a dental surgeon. He was a fellow of 
the Royal Astronomical Society, and died aged sixty-seven 
much respected." 
Tue President of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries 
has appointed a departmental committee to inquire into and 
report upon the present position of fruit culture in Great 
Britain, and to consider whether any further measures 
might with advantage be taken for its promotion and 
encouragement. The committee is constituted as follows :— 
Mr. A. G. Boscawen, M.P., chairman, Mr. C: W. Radcliffe 
Cooke, Mr. J. M. Hodge, Colonel Charles W. Long, M.P., 
Mr. George Monro, Mr. P. Spencer Pickering, F.R.S., Dr. 
W. Somerville, an assistant secretary of the Board of Agri- 
culture and Fisheries, Mr. Edwin Vinson, and Rev. W. 
Wilks, secretary of the Royal Horticultural Society. Mr, 
Ernest Garnsey, of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, 
will act as secretary to the committee. 
At the meeting of the Institution of Civil Engineers on 
December 22, Dr. T. E. Stanton described experiments made’ 
in the engineering department of the National Physical 
NO. 1783, VOL. 69 | 
Laboratory on the distribution and intensity of the pressure 
on thin plates and combinations of plates placed in a uni- 
form current of air. The results show that, under the given’ 
experimental conditions, a definite relation existed and may 
be stated thus :—For similar and similarly situated plates or 
combinations of plates in a uniform current of air, the in- 
tensity of pressure is the same for the same velocity of 
current and general atmospheric conditions. On the 
assumption that the motion of the wind approximates to 
that of a uniform current, the distribution and intensity. of 
the pressure of the wind on. structures may be studied ex-. 
perimentally by means of models of the structures set up 
in a current of air produced by means of a fan. In illustra- 
tion cf this, the results of experiments made on models of 
roofs and lattice girders of simple form were given. Tabu- 
lated results are also given for the cases of parallel plates” 
at varying distances apart, plates inclined at varying angles 
to the direction of the current, and rectangular plates of 
varying ratio of length to width. 
Mr. R. G. Carrutuers and Mr. G. W. Grabham have’ 
been appointed geologists on the Geological Survey of the 
United Kingdom. 
Mr. L. M. Lampe has given a description of the lower jaw 
of Dryptosaurus obtained from the Cretaceous strata of. 
north-western Canada (Ottawa Naturalist, xvii., November). 
In our brief notice of Mr. R. B. Newton’s article on 
fossils from Borneo (NaturE, December 10, p. 139) it should 
have been distinctly stated that Trigonia was for the first 
time recorded from the Jurassic rocks of that island. The 
genus’ had previously been recorded from the Cretaceous 
strata of Borneo. 
In the Annals of the South African Museum (vol. iv., part 
ii., November) there is a series of articles by Dr. R. Broom 
on fossil reptilian remains collected by officers of the Geo- 
logical Survey of Cape Colony. He describes an almost’ 
perfect skeleton of Pareiasaurus serridens, some new therio- 
donts, including three new genera, also a new and primitive 
rhynchocephalian from the Karroo beds. This last reptile is 
named Proterosuchus, and it shows a considerable degree of 
specialisation along the line which gave rise to the early” 
crocodiles and dinosaurs. 
In the Proceedings of the Cotteswold Naturalists’ Field 
Club (vol. xiv. part iii., November) there is an interesting — 
historical and geographical article on the Cotteswold Hills. 
by Mr. S. S. Buckman, who deals with the origin of the 
name and the area to which it should properly be restricted. 
Messrs. T. Pears and L. Richardson describe some alluvial 
deposits at Clifton Hampden, near Oxford, and Messrs._ 
A. S. Kennard and B. B. Woodward contribute notes on 
the land and fresh-water Mollusca found in the deposits. . 
Among the species it is interesting to note Dreissensta poly- 
morpha, as the occurrence of this mollusc in Britain was- 
first observed in 1824, when living examples were found 
ia the Commercial Docks, and it was held that the species 
had been imported. ) 
In the American Journal of Science (December) Mr. G. R. 
Wieland discusses Polar climate in reference to, the evolu- 
tion of plants and animals, expressing the view that the 
northern circumpolar area has probably been, ever since’ 
the older Palaozoic era, the main evolutionary centre from 
which animal and plant life have radiated. In the same- 
journal Mr. J. C! Branner directs attention to the re- 
| semblance between the Peak of Fernando de Noronha and 
the intrusive plug or obelisk of Mont Pelée, in Martinique, 
