January 19, 1899] 



NA TURE 



•■7:3 



which were secured in Northern Kansas in the autumn 

 of 1894 (Fig. 5). It comes from the famous quarry 

 which has supplied several museums with more or less 

 complete collections. From various accounts, and 

 especially from our own observations, it appears that this 

 quarry represents an old bone bed, probably the deposit 

 of some stream or small river, along which the rhin- 

 oceroses herded in great numbers. Our party secured here 

 over 400 complete bones, representing mingled remains 

 of both sexes and of all sizes. Only in certain spots 

 was the pro.\imity of one specimen to another found to 

 be a proof of association. By careful study of such 

 occasional associations and selection of bones represent- 

 ing only the largest and oldest individuals, a skeleton 

 was gradually brought together, which is believed to 

 represent very nearly the correct proportions of this 

 exceptional type. The dimensions are : length, lo feet 

 2 inches ; height at withers, 4 feet I inch ; and greatest 

 girth, 9 feet 2 inches. It thus appears that from head to tail 

 Telcoceras fossit^c?- was only six inches shorter than 

 Rhinoceros unicornis^ while the back is 18 inches nearer 

 the ground. This remarkable lowering ol the trunk is 

 chiefly caused by the great reduction of the fore-arm, 

 fore-leg, and metapodials. The abdominal girth exceeds 

 that of the Indian rhinoceros, justifying Cope's assertion 

 that this animal had rather the proportions of the hippo- 

 potamus than of the existing rhinoceros. (Jsborn and 

 Scott undertook a restoration of the skeleton of this 

 animal in 1890, but did not venture to give the ribs their 

 full length, as they far exceeded those of any existing 

 form. The length of rib as here shown is, however, 

 beyond question. By comparison of this mount with 

 those preceding, it will be seen that it presents a very 

 marked advance in the method of mechanical construc- 

 tion. The only visible supports are the vertical uprights 

 and the horizontal pieces holding the ribs. .A.11 the 

 remaining supports are of steel, and consist of rods which 

 traverse the centre of the various bones, even of the 

 delicately arched ribs, and are thus entirely concealed. 

 This method, which appears to be the most perfect of 

 its kind, would be, however, impracticable in skeletons 

 coming from the older Eocene rocks, which are composed 

 of very much denser material. 



.Altogether there are now thirteen mounted skeletons 

 exhibited in the Museum, and fifteen others are in 

 various stages of preparation. 



Henry F. Ost;oRN. 



NO TES. 



We have been asked by Prof. Meldola, the Hon. Organising 

 Secretary to the Sylvester Memorial, testate that this Fund has 

 now been closed, the subscriptions amounting altogether to over 

 89a/. The capital sum has been invested by Lord Rothschild, 

 the Treasurer of the Fund, on behalf of the .sub>cribers, and the 

 dividends will be transmitted to the Treasurer of the Royal 

 Society. The engraving of the dies has been entrusted to Mr. 

 John Pinches, and it has been decided that the material of the 

 medal shall be bronze, that the award shall be triennial and 

 irrespective of nationality, and that the recipient of the medal 

 shall receive the accumulated (triennial) interest of the Fund, 

 after deducting the cost of striking the medal. An autotype 

 print of the medal will be presented to the subscribers by Prof. 

 J. M. Peirce (of Harvard University) as soon as the dies have 

 been engraved. 



The Geological Society of London will this year award its 

 medals and funds as follows : — The WoUaston Medal to Prof. 

 Charles Lapworth ; the Murchison Medal to Mr B. N. Peach, 

 and a second Murchison Medal to Mr. John Home ; the Lyell 

 Medal to Lieut.-General C. .^. McMahon ; the BIgsby Medal to 

 NO. 1525, VOL. 59] 



Prof. T. W. Edgeworth David' ; the Wollaston Fund to Prof, 

 J. B. Harrison ; the Murchison Fund to Mr. James Bennie ? 

 the Lyell Fund is divided between Mr. Frederick Chapman and' 

 Mr. John Ward. 



The Institution of Electrical Engineers has made the following 

 awards for papers read during the session rSgz-gS : — The 

 Institution Premium to Mr. Horace F. Parshall, for his paper 

 on earth returns for electric tramways. The Paris Elec- 

 trical Exhibition Premium to Mr. Robert Hammond for hi.s- 

 paper on the cost of generation and distribution of electrical 

 energy. The Fahie Premium was not awarded because no 

 telegraphic or telephonic papers had been read during the- 

 session. Extra Premium to Mr. Leonard Andrews, for his- 

 paper on the prevention of interruptions to electricity supply. 

 Premium for original communications, to Mr. H. N. Allen, for 

 his paper on sparkless reversal in dynamos. Students Premiums 

 were awarded to Mr. J. M. Donaldson for his paper on 

 the Dover electric tramways ; Mr. Maurice Solomon, for his 

 paper on Hertz waves and wireless telegraphy ; and Mr. E. E. 

 Tasker, for his paper on alternate current motors. Salomons 

 Scholarships were awarded to Mr. Tom Rolls Renfree, King's 

 College, London, and Mr. H. J. Tomlinson, University College, 

 London. 



.A SHORT account of the recent celebration of the centenary- 

 of the St. Petersburg Military Medical Academy is given in the 

 current number of the Lancet. The celebration commenced on. 

 December 30, lS<;8, when the congratulatory addresses of the 

 presidents were presented. On Sunday, January I, a visit was- 

 paid to the large non-military hospital associated with the 

 Imperial Academy and to the Physical Laboratory, over which 

 the delegates were shown by Dr. Danilevsky, who exhibited 

 many experiments with liquid air, and demonstrated an apparatus- 

 by Zeiss by means of which images of small opaque bodies- 

 could be perfectly reproduced upon the lecturer's blackboard or 

 screen. The chief part of Monday, January 2, was spent in a. 

 tour of inspection through the immense establishment on the 

 islands at which all the instruments, splints, dressings, andl 

 apparatus are made for the army. On Wednesday, January 4, 

 a miniature review was held by the Czar in an enormous riding 

 school, and on its conclusion the delegates had the honour of 

 being presented one by one to his Imperial Majesty. The 

 British representatives were Rev. H. S. Cronin, Mr. Cross, 

 Dr. Ferguson, Prof. Ogston, Mr. Owen, and Prof Shipley. 

 Throughout the entire series of functions the Minister of War 

 showed by his presence that he deemed the Army Medical 

 Department of real importance to his country. He expressed 

 considerable pleasure at receiving congratulatory remarks froni 

 his visitors. It evidently gave him particular satisfaction to- 

 read out at the banquet before 500 guests a congratulatory 

 telegram which arrived from the German Emperor. 



The Z,a««/ states that on the occasion of the recent jubilee- 

 of the St. Petersburg Academy of Medicine, the following. 

 British men of science have been appointed honorary members 

 of the Academy :— Sir William MacCormac, Bart. : Sir William- 

 Turner, Lord Rayleigh, Sir William Stokes, Dr. William, 

 MacEwen, and Drs. Thompson and Lauder Brunton. 



Prof. Chantemesse, of the Pasteur Institute, Paris, has- 

 been promoted to the grade of Officer of the Legion of 

 Honour. 



Prof. Alexander G. R. Foulerton has been appointed 

 bacteriologist to the Middlesex Hospital. 



Prof. Poincare has been nominated president of the French 

 Bureau dej longitudes, M. Faye, vice-president, and Pr.of. 

 Lippaiann, secretary. 



