i8: 



NATURE 



\jfunc 24, 1 8 So 



Moss, one of the officers on board that vessel, besides being a 

 surgeon of renown in the navy, was also, in the best sense of 

 that phrase, a scientific man. His papers read before the 

 British Association, and his remarks at sectional meelings over 

 a large range of natural history subjects (I remember such par- 

 ticularly at the last Plymouth meeting) will be fresh in the minds 

 of many. lie was one who, always observing and storing up 

 facts, at whatever part of the world he might be, could clearly 

 and systematically arrange them, and also employ them if re- 

 quired with convincing force. Such opportunities for observation 

 were many and various. His profession, and the high estimation 

 in which he was held by the naval authorities making him a 

 picked man for any special service. By no means his least 

 accomplishment was the masterly way in which he wielded brush 

 and pen. In the Arctic Expedition of 1875-76 he served on 

 board H.M.S. Alerl, and to the astonishment of every one brought 

 back with him from that expedition a number of most beautiful 

 finished water-colour paintings and sketches in black and white. 

 These were all made on the spot in those far off regions, and 

 are, I believe, the only examples in colour, painted from nature, 

 of those dreary, cold solitudes, and consequently were the first 

 intimation to the majority of people of the gorgeous effects of 

 colour to be seen there. I remember him telling me about the 

 trouble it was to keep his pigments fluid and the devices he had 

 to resort to to effect that result. Many of these paintings and 

 drawings (in facsimile), with a vivid and most interesting 

 descriptive narrative, were publithed in his book, ' Shores of 

 the Polar Sea.' " 



Mr. W. a. Forbes, B.A., the Prosector to the Zoological 

 Society, is leaving England by the mail steamer to-day for a 

 short visit to the province of Pernambuco, Brazil. One of the 

 chief objects of his visit will be to obtain specimens in spirit of 

 the various Neotropical Mesomyodian Passcrcs, as well as of 

 Biicconiilc and other birds. During his absence all communica- 

 tions relating to animals in the Gardens, &c. , should be addressed 

 to Mr. J. J. Lister, B.A., who has undertaken Mr. Forbes's 

 prosectorial duties duri g the absence of the latter. 



The numerous friends of the late Prof. A. H. Garrod will be 

 glad to hear that a "Ganod Memorial Fund" has been set on 

 foot, with the object of reprinting, in a complete and separate 

 form, alibis published papers, both physiological and zoological. 

 We hope to be able to announce further particulars shortly. 



Amongst the peculiar institutions of Paris are the street 

 astronomers, who exhibit through their telescopes the moon, 

 sun-spots, comets' tails, and other celestial objects, according to 

 circumstances. Their charges vary from \d. in the suburbs to 

 Si/, on the Place de la Concorde or the Place Vendome, where 

 the instruments are not unworthy of a regular observatory. At 

 the last monthly meeting of the scientific journalists M. Flam- 

 marion read an address sent to him by the corporation of these 

 itinerant teachers of the marvels of the heavens. They state 

 that from the beginning of the publication of the " Astrononiie 

 Populaire" the number of their customers has more than 

 doubled. 



The establishment in Paris of a system of pneumatic clocks 

 has not put a stop to the experiments for transmitting the ob- 

 servatory time by electricity not only to the several public clocks 

 of Paris, but all over France, taking advantage of the tele- 

 graphic wires. A commission has been appointed by the 

 Municipal Council of Paris to select between the several systems 

 which have been proposed on competition. 



Among the statues which have been exhibited in the Salon 

 at the Palais de I'lndustrie, Paris, two large monuments, to com- 

 memorate Denis Papin at Blois and Leverrier at Paris, have 

 largely attracted public notice. The astronomer is represented 



erect, wearing his usual dress, and supporting in his left hand a 

 celestial sphere ; the right is pointing to the heavens. 



The U.S. Congress, we learn from the Electrician, has voted 

 the turn of 15,000 dollars for a statue of the late Prof. Joseph 

 Plenry, to be placed in the grounds of the Smithsonian 

 Institution. 



The Colonies draws attention to the establishment of a 

 " School of Agriculture" at Canterbury, New Zealand, with the 

 object of affording students the opportunity of acquiring a 

 tliorough know ledge of the science and practice of agriculture. 

 The institution, which is under the direction of Mr. W. E. Ivey, 

 M.R.A.C., F.C.S., is situated near Lincoln, about twelve miles 

 from the city of Christchurch ; and ,in "addition to the school 

 buildings — comprising lecture theatre, library, museum, chemical 

 laboratory, &c. — has attached to it a f.arm of 500 acres of land 

 of various qualities, from rich swamp pasture land to light and 

 comparatively thin soil overlying shingle. A portion of the 

 farm is devoted to experimental purposes to test the value of 

 different methods of cultivation, the effect of manures on various 

 crops, the qualities of indigenous and exotic grasses, and the 

 suitability and comparative worth of 'new varieties of cereals, 

 roots, fodder, and other plants. The studen's will be required 

 to take part iu the regular daily practical work of the farm, to 

 acquire a practical knowledge of ploughing and every other kind 

 of farm work, the use of implements and machinery, the manage- 

 ment of stock, and the making of cheese and butter. They will 

 also receive practical instruction in agricultural chemistry in the 

 laboratory. Land surveying and levelling will be undertaken at 

 suitable times for practice in the use of instruments, in measuring 

 land, in harvest and other piece work, and for taking levels for 

 drainage purposes. Lectures and instruction will be given to 

 various subjects connected with agriculture, chemistry, botany, 

 entomology, veterinary medicine, &c. Under the present rales 

 candidates for admission as resident students are required to pass 

 a preliminary examination ; and must be between the ages of 

 fifteen and nineteen. 



From the reply of Earl Spencer last Thursd.^y in the House of 

 Lords to aquestionas to the teaching of agricultural science by the 

 Science and Art Department, we are glad to find that at least the 

 " utility " of science is beginning to be recognised in high places. 

 " There was no more important matter," the Earl said, "than 

 the application of science to the art of agriculture. Great atten- 

 tion had of late years been very properly called to the great aid 

 which science gave to the various classes of manufacturers and 

 producers ; and that principle applied w-ith quite as great force 

 to agriculture as to any other art. That was especially the case 

 at the present moment, when the country w-as inquiring narrowly 

 into the whole of our agricultural system. If science could 

 enable our agriculturists to produce more from the land than 

 they had hitherto done it would add another to the many useful 

 things it had been the means of accompli.'-hing. It had been 

 decided," the Earl went on to state, "by the department, in 

 consequence of the pressure for accommodation for science 

 classes and for instruction in various branches, not to have a 

 special class for agricultural science this year, seeing that botany, 

 geology, and chemistry, which were so intimately connected 

 with agriculture, were taught separately. Since he had come 

 into ofiice, how ever, the department had decided that a class for 

 agriculture should be held in August next." 



The Midland Union of Natural History Societies held its 

 third annual meeting at Northampton on Thursday .and Friday 

 last, 17th and iSth inst., under the presidency of Sir Herewald 

 Wake, Bart. The Union consists of twenty-four societies in 

 the central counties, and numbers neaily 3,000 members. Its 

 object is to encourage natural history studies, and to make local 

 students residing far apart known to each other. So far its 



