56 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVII. No. 941 



Mr. Henry D. Mosenthal, a British chem- 

 ist, known for his work on explosives, died on 

 December 18, aged sixty-two years. 



Dr. Rudolf Schimmack, decent for mathe- 

 matics at Gottingen, has died at the age of 

 thirty-two years. 



The publishing house of Julius Springer, 

 Berlin, announces the publication beginning 

 with the new year of a new weekly journal 

 " Die Naturwissenschaften," which, according 

 to the announcement, " fiir den deutschen Wis- 

 senschaftsbetrieb ungefahr das leisten soil, 

 was die ' Nature ' fiir den englischen und die 

 ' Science ' fiir den amerikanischen leisten." 

 The numbers will contain about 24 pages; the 

 subscription price will be 24 Marks. The 

 Naturwissenschaftliche Rundschau, edited by 

 Professor W. Sklarek and published by Fried- 

 rich Vieweg und Sohn, which for twenty- 

 seven years has maintained high scientific 

 standards, will be merged in the new journal. 

 The number of visitors to the Zoological 

 Gardens, London, for the past year exceeded 

 1,000,000, the highest on record, and in ac- 

 cordance with the intention of the Zoological 

 Society the millionth person to pass the turn- 

 stiles was presented with a free pass to the 

 gardens for 1913. 



A MEETING of the executive committee hav- 

 ing charge of the arrangements for the Brit- 

 ish Association meeting in Birmingham next 

 year was held, as we learn from the London 

 Times, on December 5. Mr. Howard Heaton, 

 on behalf of the honorary secretaries, pre- 

 sented an outline of the program, which in- 

 cluded an average of five engagements each 

 day for eight days, beginning on September 

 10. In addition to the usual business meet- 

 ings and scientific discussions, there will be 

 an inaugural address by the President (Sir 

 William White) on Wednesday, a garden 

 party and reception by the Lord Mayor on 

 Thursday, a garden party given by Messrs. 

 Cadbury at Bournville on Friday, excursions 

 to places of interest in neighboring counties 

 on Saturday, special services in the churches 

 on Sunday, an entertainment by the local com- 

 mittee on Monday, and a garden party on 

 Tuesday. For the benefit of the general public 



there will be two evening discussions and six 

 popular lectures by eminent scientists during 

 the week. The suggested program was 

 adopted and referred to a sub-committee to be 

 carried out. Sir George Kenrick presented 

 the report of the finance sub-committee, which 

 stated that the amount required to cover the 

 local expenses of the meeting would probably 

 be not less than £6,000. About half that sum 

 had already been promised in response to 

 private appeals by members of the finance 

 sub-committee, and a public appeal would be 

 issued at the beginning of the new year. 



The Melbourne meeting of the Australasian 

 Association for the Advancement of Science, 

 as stated in Nature, will be held on January 

 7-14. The president-elect is Professor T. W. 

 E. David, C.M.G., F.E.S., and the retiring 

 president Professor Orme Masson, F.R.S. 

 The meeting will be held at the university, 

 which is surrounded by large grounds, and 

 can provide ample accommodation. Professor 

 Baldwin Spencer, F.R.S., who is spending the 

 year as chief protector of aborigines in the 

 Northern Territory, will deliver a lecture on 

 some of the results he has obtained. A joint 

 discussion of several sections will be held on 

 the genus Eucalyptus and its products. A 

 forest league is being formed in the various 

 states, under the auspices of the association, 

 which it is hoped will rouse public opinion to 

 the necessity of preserving forests, especially 

 round the head waters of the rivers. A large 

 number of committees will present reports, 

 and a full program of papers is expected. The 

 following are the presidents of sections : As- 

 tronomy, Mathematics and Physics, Professor 

 H. Carslaw; Chemistry, Professor C. Fawsitt; 

 Subsection Pharmacy, Mr. E. F. Church; 

 Geology and Mineralogy, Mr. W. Howchin; 

 Biology, Professor H. B. Kirk; Geography and 

 History, Hon. Thos. M'Kenzie ; Ethnology and 

 Anthropology, Dr. W. Eamsay-Smith; Social 

 and Statistical Science, Mr. E. M. Johnston; 

 Agriculture, Mr. F. B. Guthrie; Subsection 

 Veterinary Science, Professor Douglas Stew- 

 art, Engineering and Architecture, Col. W. L. 

 Vernon; Sanitary Science and Hygiene, Dr. 

 T. H. A. Valintine; Mental Science and 



