558 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVII. No. 954 



sity of Illinois, assistant professor of zoology; 

 Max Mapes Ellis, Ph.D., instructor in biology 

 in the University of Colorado, instructor in 

 zoology; Harry Nichols Whitford, Ph.D., in- 

 structor in botany, and Paul Smith Welch, 

 A.M., fellow in zoology in the University of 

 Illinois, instructor in entomology. 



The American Museum of Natural History, 

 Neve York, has adopted a pension plan which 

 went into effect on March 1. It is said to be 

 the first instance in this country of a museum 

 of sciences originating a pension system for 

 the benefit of its employees. The idea was 

 suggested to President Osborn after an in- 

 vestigation of the pension plans in operation 

 in Europe. The plan is a contributory sys- 

 tem, three per cent, of the annual salaries 

 being paid to the fund by the employees and 

 a like amount by the corporation. The plan 

 provides : (1) Pensions — Six classes of pen- 

 sions according to length of service and age, 

 the pensions varying from twenty-five to fifty 

 per cent, of the average salary of the last three 

 years. (2) Health Insurance — Gratuity to 

 the employee in case he is totally disabled 

 through illness, or his position is abolished. 

 (3) Life Insurance — Gratuity to a beneficiary, 

 in the event of the death of the employee, and 

 under certain conditions in the event of the 

 death of a pensioner. (4) Eor the return of 

 the employee's contribution with simple in- 

 terest at three per cent, in case the employee 

 leaves the service of the museum before he 

 is eligible for a pension. 



The U. S. Civil Service Commission an- 

 nounces an open competitive examination on 

 May 12 for irrigation managers and assist- 

 ants to fill vacancies in the position of irriga- 

 tion manager at salaries ranging from $1,800 

 to $2,500 a year, and vacancies in the position 

 of assistant manager at salaries ranging from 

 $1,500 to $2,000 a year, in the Eeclamation 

 Service, the salaries being dependent upon the 

 size of the project and individual qualifica- 

 tions. 



A LONG summer trip is being planned for 

 advanced geological students in Sheffield Sci- 

 entific School of Yale University who are 



ready to complete their field work in geolog- 

 ical surveying. For the past two summers, 

 this work has been carried on in the region 

 about Natural Bridge, Virginia; this year the 

 field course, which will cover the six weeks 

 from June 25 to August 6, will be carried on 

 in the Spearfish Quadrangle, near Deadwood, 

 South Dakota, in the heart of the Black Hills. 



A CABLEGRAM to the New York Times states 

 that the Atlantic transport steamship Minne- 

 apolis is carrying to America a consignment 

 of about 600 British song birds for the great 

 aviary in Michigan owned by Mr. Henry Ford, 

 the automobile manufacturer. The aviary 

 consists of about ten acres of land inclosed 

 and covered with netting and is said to be the 

 largest in the world. The consignment in- 

 cludes 120 larks, 120 linnets, 70 chaffinches, 

 100 greenfinches, 20 yellowhammers, 12 bull- 

 finches, 40 blackirds and 12 jays. 



UNIVEBSITT AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS 

 The legislature of Kansas has appropriated 

 $1,226,000 for the University of Kansas for the 

 next biennium. The legislature refused all 

 requests for new buildings except one for the 

 medical school at Eosedale. The appropria- 

 tion for maintenance is about $200,000 more 

 than has been granted for any previous bi- 

 ennium for that purpose. 



The total appropriations for special pur- 

 poses of the Ohio State University carried by 

 the appropriation measure now before the 

 legislature, amount to $371,730. Two new 

 buildings are provided for and half of the 

 necessary cost appropriated, the balance to be 

 appropriated next year. These buildings will 

 be for the departments of zoology and botany, 

 and the departments of horticulture and for- 

 estry. In addition to the special appropria- 

 tions, the state levy will provide $400,000 for 

 the general expenses of the university. 



An endowment fund of $1,000,000 has been 

 subscribed for Goucher College, Baltimore. 



Harvard University has received from the 

 estate of Mrs. Sarah A. Matchett, $150,000 on 

 account of her bequest, to be held as a special 



