90 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. VII. No. 160, 



giving another instance of the chemical re- 

 semblance between H^O and NHj. 



In the Z. Ver. Mubensuclcer- Industrie, A. 

 Herzfeld has a series of articles on lime 

 (CaO) and its compounds. They refer 

 largely to experiments carried out in a fur- 

 nace of special construction for the purpose 

 of solving the chemistry of lime making. 

 Among other conclusions reached, we note 

 that in the presence of superheated steam 

 the complete burning of lime takes place at 

 200° lower than in air ; that water will ex- 

 pel the carbon dioxid from all its com- 

 pounds at 800° ; and that the overburning 

 of lime is occasioned almost exclusively by 

 the presence of silica. 



A NEW locality for Chili saltpeter has 

 been discovered, according to H. Thorns, in 

 the Journal filr Landioirtschaft, in southwest 

 Africa in the Kharas Mts. and on the 

 Orange River. The mineral, known locally 

 as Klipzweet, or Boomester, appears as an 

 eflaorescence on the rocks, and is used 

 by the natives as a valuable remedy for 

 many ills. Analysis shows it to contain 

 chiefly sodium and potassium nitrates and 

 chlorids, about three parts of sodium to one 

 of potassium, and four parts of nitrate to 

 one of chlorid ; it may thus be considered 

 to be an impure Chili saltpeter. No par- 

 ticulars are given as to its abundance, or 

 possible economic importance. 



J. L. H. 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. 



THE MAKINB BIOLOGICAL LABOEATOEY AT 

 WOODS HOLL. 



The winter meeting of the Trustees of the 

 Marine Biological Laboratory was held in 

 Boardman Hall, Cornell University, upon De- 

 cember 30th. Twelve members of the Board 

 were present, including the President, Profes- 

 sor Osborn, of Columbia ; the Secretary, Pro- 

 fessor Bumpus, of Brown ; Chairman of the 

 Executive Committee, Dr. E. G. Gardiner, of 

 Boston ; Professor Clarke, of Williams ; Profes- 



sor Macfarlane, of Pennsylvania ; Professor 

 Penhallow, of McGill ; Professor Metcalf, of 

 Baltimore ; Professor Patten, of Dartmouth \ 

 Professor Morgan, of Bryn Mawr ; Professor 

 Peck, of Williams ; Professor Wilson, of Co- 

 lumbia; Professor Trelease, of St. Louis. Pro- 

 fessor Conklin, of the University of Pennsyl- 

 vania, was present at the preliminary confer- 

 ence held on Tuesday evening. 



The Secretary reported that the Laboratory 

 Prospectus for the summer session of 1898 had. 

 been prepared by the Director and was ready 

 for distribution. This prospectus for the 

 eleventh session of the Laboratory provides 

 for the representation of nearly all the univer- 

 sities of the country in the corps of lecturers 

 and instructors. Investigation in Zoology will 

 be under the direction of Professors Avers, 

 Bumpus, Conklin, McMurrich, Metcalf, Morgan 

 and Morrill. The embryological course will be 

 under the direction of Dr. F. R. Lillie, or 

 Michigan, assisted by Messrs. Strong, Cramp- 

 ton, Treadwell and Professor Clapp. The- 

 course in Anatomy will be under the direction 

 of Professor Peck, of Williams, assisted by 

 Messrs. Dahlgren, Greene, Lefevre, Murbach,. 

 Packard and Waite. The course in Phj'siology 

 will be under the direction of Professor Loeb,. 

 of Chicago, assisted by Messrs. Norman and. 

 Lyon. The course in Botany will be under the 

 direction of Professor Davis, of Chicago, as- 

 sisted by Messrs. Moore, Caldwell, Harper, 

 Fairchild, Webber, Swingle and Esten. The 

 institutions represented in the whole staff are : 

 Missouri, Brown, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Bal- 

 timore, Bryn Mawr, Hamilton, Columbia, 

 Miami, Mt. Holyoke, Princeton, Leland Stan- 

 ford Jr., Johns Hopkins, Detroit High School, 

 Chicago, Harvard, Texas, Bradley Institute, 

 Lake Forest, New York Experiment Station and. 

 the United States Department of Agriculture. 

 Special seminars in Embryology and Neurology 

 will be conducted by Drs. Conklin, Morrill 

 and Strong. A course of historical lectures 

 will be given by the Director and Drs. Wilson, 

 Morgan, Wheeler, Watase and Mall. Upon 

 the list of regular evening lecturers upon Gen- 

 eral Biology are those who have already con- 

 tributed to the regular evening course, together 

 with some others. The course of instruction in. 



