APRIL 22, 1897 | 
NATURE 
589 
that the opinion of entomologists might be stimulated, and an 
impulse given to their endeavours, by the formation of am associa- 
tion for the protection of such insects. Accordingly, such an 
association has been formed under the auspices of the Entomolo- 
gical Society, and the following memorandum has been numerously 
signed. ‘‘ We the undersigned, being desirous of protecting from 
extermination those rare and local species of insects which are 
not injurious to agriculture nor to manufactures, do hereby agree, 
by our own example and by the exercise of our influence over 
others, to discourage the excessive collection and destruction of 
those species of insects which, from their peculiar habits, are in 
danger of extermination in the United Kingdom. We further 
agree to accept for the purposes of this Association such list of 
Species in need of protection as shall be drawn up, and, if 
mecessary, from time to time amended by the Committee of 
the Entomological Society of London appointed to that end.” 
‘The Association is open to any one interested in the preserva- 
tion of our indigenous insect-fauna. The Hon. Secretary is Mr. 
. G. Barrett, 39 Linden Grove, Nunhead. 
Miss CATHERINE WOLFE Bruce, of New York City, to 
whom astronomy all over the world is indebted for liberal and 
intelligent benefactions, proposes to found a gold medal, to be 
awarded not oftener than once a year by the Astronomical 
Society of the Pacific, for distinguished services to astronomy. 
‘The medal is to be international in character, and may be given 
to citizens of any country, and to persons of either sex. The 
design for the obverse of the medal is the seal of the Astro- 
nomical Society of the Pacific. The medal is to be 60 mm. in 
diameter. The reverse is to bear the inscription : ‘* This medal, 
founded A.D. MpcccxcviI, by Catherine Wolfe Bruce, is 
presented to —— (name) for distinguished services to As- 
tronomy —— (date).” The Astronomical Society regularly 
awards a bronze medal, also, founded in 1890 by the late Joseph 
A. Donohoe, for the discovery of each unexpected comet. 
THE fourth annual exhibition of the New York Academy of 
Sciences was held in the Museum of Natural History, on April 
5 and 6. Exhibits were made in fourteen departments ; but as 
the catalogue fills §4 pages, limits of space forbid us giving even 
an enumeration of the more important. The astronomical 
exhibit included reproduction of plates of clusters and nebulz, 
taken at Arequipa, Peru, with the Bruce photographic telescope ; 
prints from photographs of stars, at the Yerkes Observatory of the 
University of Chicago ; and copies of photographs of the moon, at 
the Lick Observatory, the latter including negatives from enlarged 
photographs used in making the Lick Atlas of the Moon, which 
is to containa map 36 x 38 inches in diameter when completed. 
‘Conspicuous in the chemistry exhibit was an array of electric 
furnaces, including the one used by Moissan in his address 
before the Academy last October. In the electrical exhibit were 
included some fine pieces of apparatus, notably Pupin’s circuit- 
breaker and induction-coil, which gives a 30-inch spark. It 
would require a separate article to do justice to the section of 
physics, owing to the many new and valuable forms of apparatus 
shown, One of the exhibits consisted of a row of seven Bunsen 
burners, with aluminium tubes, to show (a) the seven spectrum 
colours with the evaporated salts ; (4) to produce monochromatic 
light in considerable quantities ; (¢) to produce a pure Bunsen 
flame of great intensity as a light for photography, and illustrating 
its high actinic intensity ; (¢) to heat long tubes, as a substitute 
fora combustion furnace. Among the exhibits in the zoological 
section were a map and a relief model of the Zoological Park of 
New York City, which has finally ‘been definitely located in 
Broux Park, in the trans-Harlem portion of the city, a locality 
well adapted for the purpose. A salient feature of the exhibit 
an this section was the large and diversified collection from 
NO. 1434, VOL. 55] 
the Pacific Coast, made by the Columbia University Expedition 
of 1896. 
WE regret to see the announcements of the deaths of Dr. Eduard 
Freiherr v. Haerdtl, professor of theoretical astronomy in the 
University of Innsbruck; Dr. J. Breitenlohner, professor of 
meteorology and climatology in the Agricultural High School, 
Vienna ; Dr. A. A. van Bemmelin, director of the Zoological 
Garden at Rotterdam; and Dr. J. F. James, known for his 
writings in paleeontology, botany, and geology. 
NOTWITHSTANDING rather boisterous weather, the usual 
Easter expeditions of the Liverpool Marine Biology Committee 
have been carried on with success, and the Port Erin Biological 
Station has never been so full of workers as it has been, and will 
be, during the whole of the present month. During the actual 
Easter vacation, the rather limited accommodation has been 
more than fully occupied. The Lancashire Sea-Fisheries 
steamer, John Fel/, has been at Port Erin, and several dredging 
excursions have been made in it. Spawning fish were pro- 
cured to the west of the Isle of Man, and the tanks in the 
Biological Station now contain developing lemon soles and 
witches, and a cross between the megrim and the cod. 
THE success which has attended in Germany the introduction 
of the system of ‘* pot experiments,” as a means of elucidating 
problems of agricultural science, has at various times engaged 
the attention of the Chemical Committee of the Royal Agricul- 
tural Society. More especially has this been the case, since the 
bequest made to the Society by the late Mr. E. H. Hills—‘* for 
the investigation of the value and uses ofthe rarer forms of ash in 
the cultivation of crops for the use of stock and for human food ”” 
—called for the setting on foot of a definite plan of experimental 
inquiry. With a view of seeing how this inquiry could be best 
carried out, Dr. Voelcker visited the Agricultural Experimental 
Stations in Germany, aad, acting upon his advice, the Chemical 
Committee have recommended that the inquiries directed under 
the Hills Bequest be carried out by the system of ‘‘ pot experi- 
ments,” in conjunction with ‘‘ field experiments,’’ as. already 
conducted by the Society at the Woburn Farm. The sum of 
1035/. required to establish the pot-culture station has been voted 
by the Society, and it has also been decided to make an annual 
grant of 2007. to the Chemical Committee to supplement the 
annual income of 200/. from the Hills Bequest, and so enable 
researches other than those covered by the bequest to be carried 
on at the same time. The report of the Chemical Committee 
will be found in the current number of the Yowrna/of the Royal 
Agricultural Society. 
Ar the last meeting (April 14) of the Russian Geographical 
Society, Baron Osten Sacken read a telegram which he had 
received from Sven Hedin, the well-known Swedish traveller in 
Central Asia, announcing that he had crossed Tibet (Northern 
Tibet) by following a route which lies somewhat to the south of 
General Pyerstoff’s route ; during that journey he discovered 23 
new salt lakes, four of which are of considerable size. 
Notwithstanding the great difficulties of the journey, and the 
loss of 44 beasts of burden out of 50, all collections are safe. 
From Tibet, Sven Hedin went through Mongolia to Pekin, and 
towards the end of May he expected to be in St. Petersburg. 
THE month of March is proverbially stormy, and this year it 
was exceptionally so, as not less than seventeen distinct depres- 
sions, or areas of atmospheric disturbance, were experienced over 
these islands, and in some cases the storms were of exceptional 
violence. The Pilot Chart of the North Atlantic Ocean, pub- 
lished by the Hydographic Office of Washington, states that 
the month was marked by some exceptionally severe weather 
over the North Atlantic, especially in the higher latitudes, where 
the gales followed each other so-rapidly that the bad weather 
