June 4, 1874J 



NATURE 



93 



Miiller, with which one is familiar in the case of the wild 

 thyme and other Labiatse ; but a large number of flowers 

 in this particular locality had all the anthers bitten off, a 

 depredation which I attributed to the hive-bees, inasmuch 

 as the same was the case in other habitats near hives, 

 but not in those at a greater distance from cottage- 

 gardens. The only other flowers growing on or near the 

 same bank which I observed the bees to visit were the 

 dandelion several times, and Vcronidx bi/xbaiiiiiii once. 



At this early period of the year the following species of 

 insects were captured on the dandelion ; those marked 

 with an "■■' are not in Mullet's liEt of ninety-three kinds 

 which visit this plant, unless under synonyms which I fail 

 to recognise. — Hymenoptera, Afis incllijica, *Halici!is 

 lugubris, ^Aiutreiia nana, A. van'a/is, and A. nitidaj 

 Diptera, '''Syrphus clypcala and Eristalis arbtistorum j 

 Coleoptcra, '''Apioii apiicans. 



The sloe was abundantly visited hy * Andre nafulvicrus 

 (Hymenoptera), both male and female, and by En'slalis 

 /tVM.r (Diptera). On opening the abdomen of the latter, 

 it was found to contain abundance of pollen-grains, be- 

 longing to the species on which it was then feeding, and 

 to the dandelion, mixed with a few larger triangular 

 pollen-grains, belonging apparently to a Fuchsia ; thus con- 

 firming the opinion at which 1 had previously arrived, 

 that the Sjrphidro are large consumers of pollen. The 

 abdomen of the Hymenoptera, on the other hand, con- 

 tained but a very few pollen-grains, which might easily 

 have been sucked up accidentally along with the nectar ; 

 and this was also the case with the hive-bee, the grains in 

 this latter case belonging to the dandelion. 



Alfred W. Bennett 



NOTES 



The Cambridge Museums and Lecture Rooms Syndicate, in 

 their eighth annual report state that the Regius Professor of 

 Physic has again called their attention to the urgent need of 

 better accommodation for the medical examinations. Among 

 the addiiions which have been made to the collections in the 

 several museums, the bequest of the late Mr. M'Andrew, F.R.S., 

 of the whole of his collection of shells and other specimens, de- 

 serves the first mention. It is of the highest scientific value. A 

 most interesting collection of human crania, made by the late Dr. 

 Thurnam, of Devizes, has been presented to the Museum of 

 Human Anatomy, through the liberality of Prof Humphry. A 

 series of Devonian fossils, of great beauty, presented by Lady 

 Burdett Coults, deserves special mention, as also does the con- 

 tribution of several hundred specimens of Palreozoic and other 

 fossils by Prof. Hughes, and the gift of 500 sterna of birds by 

 Prof. Newton and Mr. E. Newton, and of a skeleton of the ex- 

 tinct bird "the Great Auk" by Prof Newton. The building of 

 the Cavendish Laboratory is now finished, and the I^aboratoiy is 

 open for practical instruction in [physics. As the several collec- 

 tions and the number of students in the several departments 

 increase, the current expenditure necessarily increases. The 

 Sjndicate are therefore of opinion that the time has arrived 

 when they are obliged to call the attention of the Senate to the 

 necessity of increasing the amount of the annual grant to the 

 museums and lecture-rooms maintenance fund. They suggest, 

 however, that for tlie current year a special grant of 300/. be 

 made to the fund. Appended are the reports of Pro.'essors 

 Humphry and Newton, and of the Superintendent, Mr. J. W. 

 Clark, which give details of the past year's work and the 

 additions made to the various collections. 



In a Convocation at Oxford, on May 28, the name of H. 

 S. Smith, F.R.S., Savilian Professor of Geometry, Fellow of 

 Corpus, who had been nominated to the office of Keeper of the 

 Museum, by the delegates, in succession to the late Prof. Phillips, 

 was approved. ^ 



The list of those on whom the honorary degree of LL.D. is 

 to be conferred at the approaching Cambridge commencement is 

 very numerous. We have already mentioned some names ; the 

 following is a list of the men connected with Science who are to 

 receive the honour : — Sir Charles Lyell, F.R.S. ; Sir James 

 Paget, F.R.S. ; M. Leverrier, of the Paris Observatory; Joa- 

 chim Barrande, of the Royal Society of Sciences of Prague ; 

 George Bentham, F.R.S. ; and William Lassell, F.R.S. 



We have received the prospectus of a new " College of 

 Science and Literature," which it is proposed to establish at 

 Bristol for the South and West of England and South Wales. 

 Such an institution, if properly organised, would no doubt be of 

 great service, as these extensive and important districts are far 

 distant from any college in which the sciences applied to their 

 various industries can be studied. Judging from the prospectus, 

 the organisers of the scheme have sound notions of what such 

 an institution ought to be, keeping in view as models Owens 

 College and the Newcastle College of Science. Balliol College 

 and New College, Oxford, have come very liberally forward in 

 aid of the scheme, having offered to contribute towards it 300/. 

 ajear for five years. It is estimated that a capital sum of 

 25,000/. will be required, and an annual subscription of 3,000/. 

 for the first five years secured. It i-', however, proposed to 

 commence operations when such proportion of these amounts 

 has been guaranteed as may justify the expectatioir of success. 

 A public meeting is to be held at Bristol on the nth init. to 

 inaugurate the undertaking, which we sincerely hope will be 

 taken up heartily by those interested in it. 



Mr. W. Saville Kent, F.L S., the late Superintending 

 Naturalist of the Brighton Aquarium, and formerly Assistant 

 in the British Museum, has been appointed to the control of 

 the Manchester Aquarium. This aquarium being constructed 

 on the "circulating'' principle, advocated by Mr. Kent, and 

 it being, moreover, intended to make the building subservient 

 more to the inslruclion and education of the masses r.rlher than 

 for the realisation of exiraordinary dividends, we may anticipate 

 from it scientific results of the most gratifying sort. The tank 

 frontage of the Manchester Aquaiium presents a length of no 

 less than 750 ft., an amount exceeding that of any aquarium 

 yet constructed. An ample guarantee of the encouraging 

 support this undertaking is likely to receive at the hands of 

 the public is shown by the returns for the first week of its opening, 

 the visitors who passed through the gates dining that period num- 

 bering over 19,000. 



The Birmingham Natural History and Microscopical Society, 

 whose enterprise we have had frequent occasion to speak of, is 

 contemplating the foundation of an aquarium in Birmingham, 

 and has been seeking information from the managers of various 

 aquaria at home and abroad. The result is irot altogether en- 

 couraging to those who desire to see an aquarium standing on its 

 own legs as a scientific institution, apart from adventitious attrac- 

 tions. It seems that scarcely any existing aquarium pays that is 

 not attached to or does not form part of some place of amuse- 

 ment ; and Mr. Lloyd of the Crystal Palace Aquarium gives it 

 as the result of his large experience that no aquarium can be 

 made to pay its way, unassisted by other attractions, even in the 

 largest centre of population, unless its cost be limited to 3,000/. 

 and its annual expenses to 500/. Still we hope that, whether as 

 an independent or as a parasitical instiiution, the Birmingham 

 Society will be brave enough to take steps to establish an aquarium 

 in that busy centre. 



From the Twelfth Annual Report of the Birmingham Free 

 Libraries Committee, we are glad to see that this system of 

 libraries continues to enjoy increasing prosperity. These annual 

 reports furnish a number of very interesting statistics as to the 

 nmnber and class of books in the libraries, number and occupa- 



