Feb. II, 1886] 



NA JURE 



347 



fish skeletons presented to the Museum by the Director, 

 Steindachner. 



The highest story of all, the so-called " Second Floor," 

 presents "the same distribution of halls and adjoining 

 rooms as do the Hochpartcrre and the " First Floor." 

 The halls distinguished by the numbers from XLI. to 

 LIX. correspond with the Halls I. to XIX. in our sketch. 



The spaces on this floor will, as a rule, not be admissible 

 to the public at large, but will be mostly appropriated as 

 workrooms for the officials of the establishment and for 

 experts to whom the use of the collections and other 

 appliances is to be granted on the most favourable condi- 

 tions possible. 



One half of the second floor, comprising the halls from 

 XLI. to XLIX. inclusive, will be set apart for the zoo- 

 logical division. Here the main collections of the inverte- 

 brate animals, only a small part of which can be ex- 

 hibited on the first floor, will be kept in closed cases. Two 

 halls will accommodate the skeletons of the Mammalia 

 and birds, and one hall will lend itself as a library to the 

 accommodation of periodical literature of general interest, 

 while all publications of special departments will be dis- 

 tributed in the workrooms of the respective divisions. 



Hall L. is destined for the collection, already very rich, 

 of human skulls and skeletons. 



Halls LI. to LI v., inclusive, are devoted to the botani- 

 cal division. On the death, last summer, of the custodian 

 of this department. Dr. Reichardt, the charge of it was 

 committed to Dr. G. Beck, with whom is associated as 

 assistant. Dr. Szyszylovic. The first three halls contain 

 the herbarium, very valuable for the numerous original 

 types it possesses ; the last comprises the collections of 

 woods, fruits, &c. 



Halls LV. and LVI. form the reserve rooms for the 

 geological division, in which the particularly rich chief 

 collection of Tertiary Conchyliaand the more subordinate 

 collections of Foraminifera and Bryozoa are to be be- 

 stowed. 



The Halls LVIl. to L.\1X., finally, are to be appro- 

 priated as reserve rooms for the ethnographical collec- 

 tion, which is growing at an extraordinarily rapid rate. 



Be a few words still allowed me respecting the state of 

 the works yet needing to be completed before our Museum 

 can be opened for public entertainment and instruction. 



The building of the palace and its decoration in all 

 exterior parts is finished. All the halls, workrooms, and 

 dwelling-rooms are ready for use and in large part 

 already occupied. The cases and stand apparatus 

 destined to receive the collections are also in large part 

 already set up or in process of being set up. Building 

 operations of any serious extent yet remaining to be done 

 are confined to the interior, and more particularly the 

 central axis of the building in which the staircase stands. 

 This work, however, is of such compass that, according 

 to the declaration of the superintendent of the building, 

 it will yet claim nearly two years before it is ended. So far 

 as the collections themselves are concerned, they are all, 

 with the exception of the large Mammalia, already 

 transferred into the new building, and a beginning has 

 also been made in arranging and disposing them. With 

 the final completion of the building, this latter work will 

 likewise be completed, and then will this new establish- 

 ment for scientific labour and for the instruction of the 

 public be at once opened. Franz von H,\uer 



Vienna 



NOTES 



The Council of the Royal Meteorological Society have 

 arranged to hold at 25, Great George Street, S.W., on the 

 evenings of March 16 and 17 next, an exhibition of barometers. 

 The Exhibition Committee invite co-operation, as they are 

 anxious to obtain as large a collection as possible of such instru- 



ments. A list of some of the principal patterns of which the 

 Committee desire specimens has been prepared, and may be 

 had by applying to Mr. William Marriott, Assistant Secretary. 

 The Committee will also be glad to show any new meteorological 

 apparatus invented or first constructed since last March, as well 

 as photographs and drawings possessing meteorological interest 

 not previously exhibited. 



The appointment of Sir Lyon Playfair to be Vice-President 

 of the Council will be welcomed by all friends of education 

 and of science. Sir Lyon's recent utterances on the duty of the 

 State as to the promotion of scientific research must be fresh in 

 the memories of our readers ; and it will be interesting to watch 

 to what extent the Minister's practice accords with his creed. 



The inauguration of the statue of Claude Bernard by Guillaume 

 took place on Sunday last, at the entrance of the College de 

 France. Speeches were delivered by MM. Paul Bert, Berthelot, 

 Chauveau, Dastre, Freuiy, and Renan. The audience was large, 

 in spite of the very cold weather. The statue of Bernard stands 

 near a table on which has been placed a dog undergoing dissection. 

 The animal is partly concealed by a large bronze sheet on which 

 are written these words — "Glycogenic Diabete — Nerfs vaso- 

 moteurs — Substances toniques — Liquides digestifs," which may 

 be considered as giving a summary of the extent of Claude 

 Bernard's disquisitions and discoveries. 



The death is announced of Dr. Arnold Konstantin Peter 

 Franz von Lasaulx, Professor of Mineralogy and Geology at 

 Bonn L'uiversity. He died at Bonn on January 25, aged forty- 

 six years. 



At the last sitting of the Paris Academy of Sciences M. Paul 

 Bert took leave of his colleagues. He said that his academical 

 qualifications were the principal cause of his appointment to his 

 mission. He will be brought into contact with the savants of 

 the East, and he is hoping to convert them to the principles of 

 the West merely by persuasion and without being obliged to 

 resort to coercion. 



The Academic des Sciences, in awarding the Prix Montyon 

 to M. Girard, the director of the laboratory opened in Paris 

 seven years ago for testing the quality of the food and drink sold 

 by the tradesmen of the capital, has issued a report which shows 

 how much good this laboratory has done. The laboratory was 

 first opened in 187S, and specimens of wine, beer, cider, milk, 

 chocolate, coffee, tea, &c., ai-e examined daily ; so, too, are the 

 colours used for toys, sweetmeats, and liqueurs, as well as pork 

 suspected of containing trichinosis, and tinned meats. Some of 

 these samples are brought by the pablic, and the analysis is 

 made free of cost when all that is asked is whether they are free 

 from adulteration. If, however, an analysis of their propor- 

 tionate composition is required, the laboaatory makes a small 

 charge, and this brings in an annual income of about 1200/. a 

 year. A larger number of samples are, however, brought in by 

 the twenty inspectors who are attached to the laboratory, and 

 whose duty it is to visit the different taverns and grocers' shops, 

 and examine the articles offered for sale. These inspectors are 

 provided with a microscope and with acids, which enable them 

 to test a good deal of merchandise on the spot, and they only 

 bring back to the laboratory specimens of the articles which 

 they have reason to suspect are adulterated. There are twenty- 

 five chemists attached to the laboratory, each of whom has his 

 own special department, one taking milk, another wine, and so 

 on. Each sample is divided into two parts, one of which is 

 kept as evidence in case it should be found to be adulterated. 

 The municipal laboratory analyses about 25,000 samples per 

 annum at a cost of about 8000/. 



The total rainfall at the Ben Nevis Observato-y during 18S5 

 was 14650 inches, the largest monthly fall being 24-33 inches in 



