12 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXX. No. 757 



not Euler's works to be classed amongst the 

 greatest of all ages, not only on the subject of 

 pure mathematics, but also for their manifold 

 technical applications ! 



We are hopeful that our appeal will meet with 

 that interest on the part of all mathematicians 

 which a complete edition of Euler's works may 

 justly claim. So much preparatory work has 

 already been done that it needs now but a com- 

 paratively slight effort from individuals and from 

 scientific associations to insure the success of our 

 great plan, the publication of Euler's works! 



This appeal is signed by the presidents of 

 the central committee and the Euler com- 

 mittee of the Swiss Society of Natural Sci- 

 ences. Subscriptions may be sent to Professor 

 r. Eudio, Dolderstrasse 111, Zurich V., 

 Switzerland. 



G. A. Miller 



REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE TO VISIT THE 

 MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY 



To the Board of Overseers of Harvard Col- 

 lege: The committee wish to report that they 

 visited the museum on April 29, and were re- 

 ceived by Mr. Agassiz, the director, and by 

 Mr. Henshaw, the curator, under whose aus- 

 pices an inspection of the collections of the 

 museum was made. 



A walk through the museum can not fail to 

 impress the observer with the careful fore- 

 thought for great simplicity and security of 

 construction, and the thoroughly scientific ar- 

 rangement and handling of the vast collec- 

 tions therein contained. The architectural 

 arrangement of the various departments is of 

 the simplest character, and one can not but be 

 impressed with the high degree of scientific 

 accuracy displayed everywhere. The material 

 on exhibition forms but a small part of the 

 whole collection — more than two thirds of the 

 specimens being stored for the purpose of 

 scientific study. Among these are many great 

 special collections — for instance, those of the 

 Brazilian Expedition of Professor Louis Agas- 

 siz, and those of the numerous dredging ex- 

 peditions of Mr. Alexander Agassiz, which 

 have been the subject of classic memoirs. 



Among the recent acquisitions of the mu- 

 seum which have already been described in 



previous reports, is the large model of the 

 Bora-Bora coral reefs, which has been care- 

 fully prepared under the direction of Mr. 

 Agassiz, and is now cased in the museum. 

 It serves in its own way to commemorate the 

 extensive and fruitful investigations into coral 

 reef formation which he has made during 

 recent years. 



There are at present more than 45,000 vol- 

 umes in the library, which, owing to its scien- 

 tific value, has become one of Harvard's great 

 possessions. It is eagerly sought out and con- 

 sulted by students and masters in several de- 

 partments of science, and not from Harvard 

 alone, but from the whole United States and 

 Canada. This great growth has made it nec- 

 essary to place the books in stacks, and owing 

 to this somewhat compact arrangement, the 

 facilities for consulting the books are not so 

 convenient as they would be if provision 

 could be made for a more perfect system of 

 artificial illumination. 



With the growth of the museum, the need 

 of a number of expert assistants in the 

 preparation and mounting of specimens has 

 been felt. 



The first need to which we call attention 

 would not involve great increase in the ex- 

 penditures, but the second is a large item. As 

 the resources of the museum and the director's 

 private generosity are already taxed to the ut- 

 most, it rests with the university itself, or 

 with the public, rather than with the museum, 

 to bear this additional burden. Your com- 

 mittee feel strongly that the university should 

 assume it. 



It is appropriate on this occasion to call at- 

 tention to the fact that this year marks the 

 semi-centennial of the establishment of the 

 Museum of Comparative Zoology. On April 

 2, 1859, the legislature of Massachusetts voted 

 that the sum of $100,000 should be granted to 

 the Museum of Comparative Zoology. In 

 June, 1859, articles of agreement were made 

 and executed between the trustees of the 

 museum and the president and fellows of 

 Harvard College. A piece of land about five 

 acres in extent was deeded by the corporation 

 to the museum, for the purpose of erecting a 



