708 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. VII. No. 177. 



and also in meteoric bodies, as has already- 

 been noticed in these notes. It, therefore, 

 appeared to be of interest to determine if it is 

 present in the sun. A paper on this sub- 

 ject has been read by these authors before 

 the Eoyal Dublin Society. The first prob- 

 lem was to determine with great accuracy 

 the wave-lengths of the principal lines in 

 the spectrum of gallium. This was accom- 

 plished by photographing the spectrum of 

 gallium with the 21.5-feet radius grating 

 spectrograph in the Physical Laboratory of 

 the Eoyal University of Ireland. The wave- 

 length of the two principal lines was found 

 to be 4,172.215 and 4,033.125. In Rowland's 

 map of the solar specrum 4,172.211 is given 

 as an aluminum line and 4,038.112 as not 

 identified. As gallium is present in every 

 bauxite and shale and every specimen of 

 aluminum examined by the authors there 

 is no doubt that this line should really be 

 attributed to gallium and not to be alumi- 

 num. Gallium must, therefore, be added to 

 the list of elements known to occur in the 

 sun ; which only emphasizes the wide- 

 spread occurence of this element in nature. 

 J. L. H. 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. 



CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATIONS IN SCIENCE. 



Two important scientific positions are to be 

 filled under the Smithsonian Institution, by ex- 

 amination, on June 7th. 



One of these is that of Assistant Curator, Di- 

 vision of Mammals, U. S. National Museum, 

 with a salary of $1,500 per annum. Competi- 

 tors will be rated in the elements of education, 

 experience, publications and thesis, which will 

 be weighted 10, 15, 50 and 25, respectively. 

 Applicants will be furnished with the subject for 

 the thesis, and with special forms upon which 

 it is to be submitted. The Department states 

 that it is desirable that persons certified for this 

 position shall be men not less than 25 nor 

 more than 40 years of age, and that they should 

 possess a good general education (college gradu- 

 ates preferred); a general knowledge of zool- 



ogy, and a thorough knowledge of mammal- 

 ogy, more especially as relating to the North 

 American fauna ; they should have a practical 

 knowledge of field-collecting, and of museum 

 methods of preserving, arranging and labeling 

 collections. 



The second vacancy is in the position of Phy- 

 sicist, for special work in connection with the 

 Astrophysical Observatory, Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution, at a salary of $1,000 to $1,200 per annum. 

 This examination will consist of the subjects 

 below, which will be weighted as follows : 



General physios, 7 



Physical laboratory training, 5 



Treatment of observations, 3 



Mechanical drawing, 2 



French, 1 



German, 1 



English, 3 



Total, 20 



MUSEUMS OP THE SCIENCE AND AET DEPART- 

 MENT, LONDON. 



The Select Committee appointed to inquire 

 into and report upon the administration and 

 cost of the Museums of the Science and Art 

 Department have agreed to the following first 

 report : 



Since the issue of the report of the Museums 

 of the Science and Art Department Committee 

 in July, 1897, your committee have continued 

 the inquiry, but reserve for a further report the 

 publication of additional evidence with their 

 final review and recommendations. 



They feel, however, bound to report without 

 delay certain conclusions at which they have 

 arrived, on consideration of the evidence, as 

 regards the South Kensington Museum and the 

 Geological Museum in Jermyn-street. 



They are unanimously of opinion that with a 

 view to present eflicient management, to econ- 

 omy of administration, to future development 

 of the collections, and to their full use for the 

 purpose of exhibition and of instruction, it is 

 necessary: 



1. That the whole area on the east side of 

 Exhibition-road (except that occupied by the 

 Royal College of Science, which cannot be 

 sacrificed except at great cost) be exclusively 

 devoted to the Art Museum and the Art Library, 



