Oct. 22, 1874] 



NATURE 



5" 



and stones, which are certainly prettier and more natural 

 than the gravel and blankets used for the same purpose 

 in our Zoological Gardens. But the difficulty seems to 

 be that the animals conceal themselves and arc not easily 

 extracted from their hiding-places, whereas a blanket is 

 readily unfolded when the occasion requires, and is more 

 easily kept clean and tidy. 



There can be no question of the great improvement of 

 this house as compared with its predecessor, nor of its 

 superiority to the Reptile-house in our Zoological Society's 

 Gardens, so far as concerns space and arrangement. But 

 as regards the extent of the collection, we believe the 

 London Society still holds its own. 



NOTES 



Seventv-five cases of specimens taken by the Challenger 

 expedition have been received at the Admiralty from Prof. 

 Wyville Thomson. 



The vessel bearing the French Transit Expedition, under 

 charge of M. Janssen, was caught in the typhoon wliich swept 

 over Hong Kong on Sept. 23 ; although the ship appears to 

 have suffered, \.\ic personnel and apparatus are happily safe. We 

 may state that M. Janssen's wfe accompanies him. 



^RO^t the list of the lectures to be delivered during the 

 present term at Oxford, on subjects connected with Natural 

 Science, the want of organisation among the teachers of its 

 different branches is but too apparent. The four biological 

 courses — by Prof. RoUe5ton(i), Mr. Lankester at Exeter College 

 (2), Mr. Barclay Thompson at Christ Church (3), and Mr. 

 Chapman at Magdalen (4) — are to be on (l) The Comparative 

 Anatomy of Vertebrata, (2) Tlie Structure and Genealogy of Verte- 

 brata, (3) Ichthyic Anatomy, (4) The Anatomy of Vertebrata ; 

 so that no provision is made for those who are studying Human 

 Anatomy, nor the Invertebrata. I listology fares hardly any better, 

 for its rapid progress during the last few years has quite over- 

 thrown the practical microscopy of ten years ago. The Pro- 

 fessor of Experimental Philosophy and Dr. Lee's Reader in 

 Physics are also both to lecture on Electricity. 



SiGNOR L. M. d'Albertis, the Italian naturalist, who re- 

 cently ascended the Arfak Mountains in New Guinea and made 

 so many important discoveries, is now at Genoa preparing for 

 a fresh expedition into the same country, and will leave Europe 

 in about a month's time. On this occasion the traveller will 

 endeavour to penetrate into the southern part of that terra in- 

 eognita, that is into the district adjacent to Torres Straits, where 

 mountain-ranges of considerable altitude are known to exist. 

 Should he succeed in his arduous enterprise, there can be no 

 doubt that he will reap an abundant harvest, as the zoology of 

 this part of New Guinea is absolutely unexplored. 



SiGNOR d'Albertis' foimer companion, the distinguished 

 botanist, Dr. Beccari, is still in the East. His last letters, 

 dated at Macassar in August last, announce his recent return 

 there from an excursion into the south-eastern districts of Celebes. 

 We believe that Dr. Beccari also is preparing for a fresh expe- 

 dition to New Guinea. 



Under the sanction of the trustees of the British Museum, 

 the course of twelve lectures on Geology, which the liberal 

 endowment of Dr. Swiney makes J'rec to the public, will this year 

 be delivered by Dr. Carpenter, at the Birkbeck Literary and 

 Scientilic Institution, Southampton Building;:, Ch.incery Lane, 

 on Saturday evenings, at half-past seven o'clock, commencing 

 Saturday next. We undeistand that the main purpose of the 

 course will be to elucidate the past history of the earth by the 

 study of the changes at present in progress ; and that the course 



will include an account of the lecturer's own researches in thg 

 deep sea. It will be illustrated by an extensive series of photo, 

 graphs and paintings, exhibited by the oxy-hydrogen lantern. 



The South African correspondent who sent us the Natural 

 History Notes which appeared in Nature, vol. x. p. 486, is 

 Mr. J. P. ManseU Weale. 



It has been decided to publish, as a yearly volume, a Record 

 of Works on Geology, Mineralogy, and Palceontology, British 

 and Foreign. The first volume will be printed by the middle of 

 1875, and will contain short abstracts or notices of papers, books, 

 maps, &c., publislied during the year 1S74. It is estimated that 

 this volume will contain from 200 to 300 pages, and that its 

 price will be \os. dd. The gentlemen named below have volun- 

 teered to assist in the work, which has already been begun. 

 Those marked * have taken charge of various sections (as sub- 

 editors), and the last has undertaken the post of general editor : — 



* W. Carruthers, F R.S. (British Museum) ; C. E. De Ranee, 

 F.G.S. (Geological Survey); R. Ethetidge, jun., F.G.S. (Geo- 

 logical Survey of Scotland) ; D. Forbes, F.R.S. ; Prof Geikie, 

 F. R. S. (director of the Geological Survey of Scotland) ; * Prof. 

 A. H. Green, F.G.S. ; Prof. T. R. Jones, F.R.S. ; A. J. Jukes- 

 Browne, F.G.S. (Geological Survey) ; ' G. A. Lebour, F.G.S. ; 



* L. C. Miall (Leeds Museum) ; E. T. Newton, F.G.S. (Jermyn 

 Stieet Museum) ; Dr. H. A. Nicholson, F.G.S. ; * F. W. 

 Rudler, F.G.S. (Jermyn Street Museum) ; E. B. Tawney, 

 F.G.S. (Bristol Museum) ; * W. Topley, F.G.S. (Geological 

 Survey) ; Henry Woodward, F.R.S. (British Museum) ; H. B. 

 Woodward, F.G..S. (Geological Survey) ; W. Whitaker, F.G.S. 

 (Geological Survey). The work will be greatly helped if Pro- 

 vincial Societies and Field Clubs will forward copies of their 

 publications to the editor. It is hoped, from the low price, that 

 the number of subscribers will be enough to cover the expenses 

 of printing ; but should this not be the case, a number of eminent 

 scientific gentlemen have kindly consented to act as guarantors. 

 Names of intending subscribers, and of societies and institutions 

 that will purchase the Record for 1S74, will be gladly received 

 by the editor. 



Mr. William Dittmar, F.R.S.E., Lecturer on Chemistry 

 at Owens College, Manchester, has been appointed Professor of 

 Chemistry at Anderson's University, Glasgow, in the place of 

 Dr. Thorpe, who has been elected Professor of Chemistry at the 

 Yorkshire College of Science. 



Dr. William Stirling has been appointed assistant to 

 Dr. Rutherford, the newly elected Professor of Physiology in the 

 University of Edinburgh. 



Dr. James Apjohn has resigned his appointment of Professor 

 of Chemistry in the Medical School of Trin ity College, Dublin. 



Mr. Bryce M. Wright, the well-known collector of fossils, 

 who for some time past had been far from well, died last week, 



A NEW wing has been quite recently added to King's College, 

 London, by means of which considerable improvements have 

 been made in the Physiological Laboratory and the Dissecting 

 Room. 



Two scholarships in Science, of the value of 100/. each, have 

 this year been awarded at St. Bartholomew's Hospital ; one to 

 Mr. Coates, of Balliol College, Oxford, the other to Mr. Saunders, 

 of Downing College, Cambridge, these gentlemen having been 

 coupled as of equal merit for the first place in the competition. 



The following gentlemen have been elected to the vacant 

 Natural Science Postmasterships in Merton College : — Mr. 

 J. Larden, of Rugby School, and Mr. A. Macdonell, of 

 Aberdeen University. The Delegates of Unattached Students 

 of Oxford LTniversity give notice that the Master and Court 



