;i6 



NA TURE 



[May 13, 1909 



. Mr. E. De Koven Leffingwell, the American explorer, 

 is about to start from Seattle for a three years' expedition 

 to northern Alaska. His main object is to map out the 

 coast-line for a few hundred miles on either side of Flax- 

 man Island, his winter quarters. As opportunity offers, he 

 will also study the geological formations of the territory, 

 and try to find out some large rivers in the interior of 

 which the natives speak vaguely. His yawl, the Argo, 

 will carry an auxiliary engine, besides sails, and its cargo 

 will be limited to thirteen tons. 



The successful congress in connection wi(h the sup- 

 pression of frauds in food, which was inaugurated last 

 year at Geneva, will be succeeded by a similar congress 

 to be held in Paris during October of the present year. 

 The principal object will be to define such methods as 

 will prevent the fraudulent adulteration of food, but there 

 will also be sections devoted to chemical products, pharma- 

 ceutical preparations, mineral waters, and similar sub- 

 stances. Further information as to the congress can be 

 obtained from Mr. Loudon M. Douglas, College of Agri- 

 culture, Edinburgh. The general secretary is Mr. Robert 

 Fazy, 42 Rue du Rhone, Geneva. 



On Tuesday next. May 18, Prof. J. Garstang will 

 deliver a lecture at the Royal Institution on (i) " Monu- 

 ments of Egypt and Asia Minor," being the first of a 

 course of two lectures on "The Hittites," and on Satur- 

 day, May 22, Dr. W. H. R. Rivers, F.R.S., will begin 

 a course of two lectures on " The Secret Societies of the 

 Banks' Islands." The Friday evening discourse on 

 May 21 will be delivered by the Hon. Ivor C. Guest, on 

 ■" Afforestation," and on May 28 by Dr. Emerson Reynolds, 

 F.R.S., on " Advances in our Knowledge of Silicon as an 

 Organic Element." An extra Friday evening discourse 

 will be delivered on June 18 by Mr. A. Henry Savage 

 Landor, on "A Recent Visit to the Panama Canal." 



The many friends of the late Mr. Bennett H. Brough 

 -will be glad to know that the proposal to establish some 

 permanent memorial to him has taken definite shape. 

 •Shortly after Mr. Brough's lamented death, a fund for his 

 widow and children was started by the council of the 

 Iron and Steel Institute, of which he was secretary, and 

 the sum of about 6000/. was raised. There are, however, 

 many old students of the Royal School of Mines, as well 

 as others who came under the influence of Mr. Brough's 

 inspiring personality, who, now the institute's fund is 

 practically closed, desire to show their appreciation of his 

 life and work by a lasting memorial. A committee has 

 therefore been formed to raise a fund for this purpose, 

 and has issued an appeal for subscriptions. It is suggested 

 that the memorial should take the form of a scholarship 

 for boys from the City of London School, where he was 

 educated, tenable at the Royal School of Mines, where, 

 both as student and teacher, he did such excellent work. 

 ■Contributions should be sent to Mr. R. E. Commans, Speer 

 Road, Thames Ditton, Surrey. 



Considerable changes are announced in the staff and 

 administration of the London Zoological Gardens. For 

 several months past a special committee has been investi- 

 gating the state of affairs at the gardens, and the innova- 

 tions, which are expected to lead to decided improvements 

 in the well-being of the animals, are the results of the 

 deliberations of that body. Dr. Chalmers Mitchell, the 

 secretary, will continue to act as chief administrative 

 officer in the gardens (where he will reside when the 

 society's library and offices are transferred there), for the 

 •efficiency of which he alone is responsible to the council. 

 NO. 2063, VOL. 80] 



As subordinates, he is eventually to have under him three 

 curators, one each for mammals, birds, and reptiles. Mr. 

 R. I. Pocock, who is to retain his present post of garden- 

 superintendent, will have charge of the mammals, and 

 temporarily of the reptiles, while Mr. D. Seth-Smith is 

 to take over the custody of the birds, combining with this 

 duty the office of inspector of works. Each curator is to 

 have a head-keeper under him, and the aim of the council 

 IS that both curator and head-keeper should devote their 

 whole attention and time to the care of the animals under 

 their charge. If this work is properly done, the curators 

 will have no time to spend on scientific zoology, as 

 the care of the animals is quite enough to occupy their 

 whole energies. 



On May 7 Lord Avcbury presided at the annual con- 

 versazione of the Selborne Society. He alluded to the Bill 

 to stop the destruction of rare and beautiful birds for the 

 sake of their feathers, which the society, acting on the 

 suggestion of Mr. Buckland and in conjunction with the 

 Linnean Society, Zoological Society, and the Society for the 

 Protection of Birds, introduced into the House of Lords 

 last year. The House of Lords was very sympathetic, and 

 passed the Bill, but the House of Commons could not 

 spare time to consider it. This year, said Lord Ave- 

 bury. Sir William Anson has introduced a similar measure, 

 and he heartily wished it success. Mr. James Buckland 

 afterwards exhibited a number of slides bearing on the 

 destruction of egrets. The subject of flight was considered 

 by Mr. F. W. Headley, of Haileybury, who showed by 

 means of slides how birds fly, while Mr. T. W. K. 

 Clarke followed with a lecture on how men fly, in 

 which he contrasted the methods by which birds fly with 

 mechanical flight, and showed by means of gliders how 

 machines are automatically balanced. He also made a 

 strong point of the fact that in the science of aeronautics 

 Englishmen in the past led the way, and cited the names 

 of Sir George Cayley, Henson, Stringfellow, and Wenham. 

 As usual, there was a large series of interesting exhibits. 

 The following attracted considerable attention ; — a working 

 exhibition showing the processes of the manufacture of 

 microscope lenses, Messrs. W. Watson and Sons ; an 

 attachment for converting a tourist's telescope into an 

 instrument for insect observation, Messrs. H. F. Angus 

 and Co. ; and a plan showing the position of the nesting- 

 boxes and nests during the coming month in the Brent 

 Valley Bird Sanctuary, Mrs. Wilfred Mark Webb. 



An influential deputation waited upon Mr. Runciman, 

 president of the Board' of Education, on May 6, to place 

 before him the objections to the alleged intention of the 

 Government to distribute what is known as the Indian 

 Collection at the South Kensington Museum. Lord 

 Curzon, in introducing the deputation, gave a historical 

 summary of the nature and position of the collection. 

 Briefly, the facts are as follows. Last year a depart- 

 mental committee was appointed to draw up a compre- 

 hensive scheme for the re-arrangement of the products in 

 the South Kensington Museum, in the interests, first, of 

 people engaged in commercial production, and, secondly, 

 for the due encouragement of art. The committee reported 

 in favour of classification by material of all the contents 

 of the Victoria and Albert Museum. This recommendation 

 has provoked much opposition ; and the object of the 

 deputation was to urge that Indian art demands in- 

 dependent treatment, and that the ethnographical features 

 of the present collection would be altogether sacrificed if 

 the distribution according to subjects were carried out. 

 The hope was expressed, therefore, that the Government 



