July 12, 1906] 



NA TURE 



251 



Director-General of the Hcrlin Royal MusLums, with the 

 rank of Wirklicher Geheinier Oberregicrungsrath. 



The Berufsgenossenschaft dcr chemischen Industrie held 

 its twenty-second ordinary meeting in Dctniold on June 2S, 

 and sanctioned the spending of half a million marks for the 

 erection of the society's business premises. 



Dr. liii-oDOR Mkyer, whose work on the commercial 

 pri'panition of sulphuric acid has given him a high place 

 among technical chemists, has been appointed director of 

 the installations bureau for the German cheinical industry, 

 in Berlin, Kurfiirslendamm 139, in succession to the late 

 Dr. II. II. Niedenfuhr. 



I'Kor. lUiGO VON GiLM died in Vienna on June 21, in 

 his seventy-sixth year. Born in Innsbruck, he studied at 

 the university under Prof. Hlasiwetz, whose assistant and 

 co-worker in several pieces of research in organic chemistry 

 lie subsequently became. From 1863 to 1895 he was first 

 lecturer, and ultimately professor of chemistry and chemi- 

 cal technology in the Vienna Landesoberreal- und hijheren 

 I Irwerbeschule. 



Prof. Emil Jacohsen celebrated his seventieth birthday 

 iin July 3 in Charlottenburg, where he has lived for 

 many years. He was born in Danzig, and studied as a 

 ph.irmaceutical student in Brcslau and Berlin. In 1862 

 he opened an analytical laboratory in Berlin, in which 

 he [iiade a number of valuable observations and discoveries. 

 Or. Jacobson is the originator and editor of several success- 

 ful periodicals. From 1862 to 1903 he issued an annual 

 publication under the title of the Chemisch-technischcs 

 Repertorium, and from 1864 to 1894 the weekly paper 

 Industrie Blatter, while from 1878 to 1S95 he was the 

 director of the Chcmische Iiidiistric. 



.\n earthquake shock was felt at Manstrae, Alva, and 

 Blairlogie, in Perthshire, about 3.45 on July 4. The tremor, 

 which passed from west to east, lasted about two seconds, 

 and was accompanied by sounds as of distant explosions. 



The annual exhibition of antiquities connected with the 

 Institute of Archjcology, University of Liverpool, will be 

 held in the Lord Derby Museum, Public Museums, Liver- 

 pool, from July 11 to July 26 inclusive. The exhibits in- 

 clude prehistoric remains from Hierakonpolis ; examples 

 of provincial art from Esna, of Hyksos period and later : 

 scarabs, ornaments, and inscriptions from Abydos, of 2000 

 to 1200 B.C. ; pottery and other remains of primitive man, 

 from Kostanineh in Nubia, recently discovered by Mr. 

 John Garstang and Mr. E. Harold Jones. 



From the ashes of the monthly magazine of current 

 scientific investigation, Science Progress, which came tii an 

 end in 1898 through lack of support, has arisen a quarterly 

 review under the same title, edited, with the assistance of a 

 strong advisory committee, by Dr. N. H. Alcock and Mr. 

 \\'. G. Freeman, and published by Mr. John Murray. The 

 periodical has much the same appearance as its predecessor, 

 and the contributions to it are of the same character. 

 There are twelve articles in which methods and results of 

 work in several departments of science are described by 

 writers actively engaged in scientific investigation. The 

 contributions are thus trustworthy statements of the posi- 

 tion and progress of important subjects of scientific study, 

 the biological sciences being given particular attention. In 

 the first number the endeavour of the new periodical is 

 stated lo be " to present summaries, as far as possible of a 

 non-technical character, of important recent work in any 

 branch of science, to show the progress achieved, and if pos- 

 sible to indicate something of the line along which further 

 advance is to be made towards the desired end. The 

 NO. 191 5, VOL. 74] 



chemist, to take an example, will describe for the botanist 

 recent advances in chemistry, the botanist will do the 

 same service for the chemist, often, it is hoped, to the 

 advantage and assistance of both." These intentions are. 

 of course, admirable, and the only dilTiculty to be antici- 

 pated is in their application. Scientific work is so minutely 

 specialised that the vocabulary common to all investigators 

 is somewhat limited ; and the greatest trouble the editors 

 will have will be to obtain authoritative articles on subjects 

 of prime importance written in a style that can be read 

 with ease and interest by the world of science in general, 

 while at the same time they appeal to the wants of students 

 of special branches of scientific inquiry. We trust that the 

 new review will be successful in its attempt to provide a 

 common meetmg-ground for men of science, where workers 

 in biological and physical sciences can lead one another to 

 appreciate the significance of progress made in their respec- 

 tive departments of natural knowledge. 



We have received a copy of an illustrated prospectus of 

 the new edition of the " Systematisches Conchylien- 

 Cabinet " of Martini and Chemnitz, now in course of issue 

 by Messrs. Bauer and Raspe, of Niirnberg, under the 

 editorship of Dr. W. Kobelt. 



From the University of Wisconsin we have just received 

 a copy of No. 115 of the Bulletin of that institution bear- 

 ing tfie date of September, 1905. It is devoted to a review 

 of the rise and progress of the study of anatomy in the 

 United States, drawn up by Prof. C. R. Bardeen, and 

 delivered as an inaugural address on his assumption of 

 the chair of anatomy in the University. The discourse 

 includes a reference to the early history of anatomy. In 

 the University of Wisconsin a special department has been 

 recently established for the study of human and com- 

 parative anatomy, neurology, histology, and embryology. 



" Notes on Malayan Pigs " is the title of an illustrated 

 paper by Mr. G. S. Miller forming No. 1466 of the Pro- 

 ceedings of the U.S. National Museum. As the author has 

 had the advantage of studying large series of specimens 

 in the museums of Washington, London, Berlin, Leyden, 

 and Berne, it may be hoped that this communication will 

 do much towards settling the vexed question as to the 

 number of distinguishable representatives of the genus Sus 

 inhabiting the Malay area, although it is possible that 

 what Mr. Miller regards as " groups " other naturalists 

 may consider " species." Several new forms are named. 



No. 1468 of the Proceedings of the U.S. National 

 Museum is devoted to a collection of fishes from Ecuador 

 and Peru, the new forms described by the author, Mr. 

 E. C. Starks, including several cat-fishes (Silurida;). In 

 No. 147(1 of the same serial Messrs. Jordan and Snyder 

 describe two giant bass from Japan, namely, Stereolypif 

 iscliinagi and Erilepis zonijer, both of which have been 

 long known to science, although imperfectly represented in 

 collections. Despite the fact of both being commonly 

 known as "bass," the two species are referable to distinct 

 families. One example of the former was about 6 feet in 

 length, while a specimen of the latter measured 57 inches, 

 and other specimens are stated to weigh as much as 

 20olb. 



BoT.WY is the main subject in the June number of the 

 American Naturalist, the " notes " being entirely devoted 

 to that subject, while Dr. K. M. Wieland discourses at 

 considerable length on the causes of the pressure and flow- 

 of sap in the maple. Osmosis from one living cell to 

 another is, in Dr. Wieland's opinion, the only vera causa 

 for the latter phenomenon. " Only by flow through the 

 cell from one reservoir to another, due to the unequal 



