April 23, 1909] 



SCIENCE 



655 



Dr. Henry C. Cowles, assistant professor of ecol- 

 ogy, University of Chicago. 



March 5 — " Studies in Geology: The Grand 

 Canyon of the Colorado River," by Dr. Wallace 

 W. Atwood, secretary of the academy. 



March 12 — " Studies in Geology : The High 

 Mountains of North America," by Dr. Wallace 

 W. Atwood, secretary of the academy. 



March 19 — ^To be announced. 



March 26 — " The Conservation of our Natural 

 Resources," by Mrs. Jane Perry Cook, head of 

 department of geography, Chicago Normal School. 



April 2 — " Studies in Geology : The Geological 

 History of the Chicago Region," by Dr. Wallace 

 W. Atwood, secretary of the academy. 



April 9—" Travel and Exploration in Alaska," 

 by Dr. Wallace W. Atwood, secretary of the 

 academy. 



The GeograpHc Society of Chicago has 

 arranged for the month of May two excur- 

 sions, the regular excursion on the second 

 Saturday of the month and a special one later 

 in the month. The regular excursion will 

 take place on Saturday, May 15, under the 

 leadership of Dr. Otis W. Caldwell, of the 

 University of Chicago. The region visited 

 will include the rich woods and the remarkable 

 moving dunes near Furnessville, Indiana. 

 The special excursion for May will he to 

 Starved Eock and the Canyons of the Illinois 

 Eiver. Specialists will give the history of 

 the region, explain its topography, and inter- 

 pret its flora and avifauna. The society is 

 actively supporting a measure now before the 

 legislature looking to the incorporation and 

 preservation of Starved Eock and its environs 

 within the confines of a State Park. 



We learn from Nature that the Eoyal Phys- 

 ical Society of Edinburgh has opened its doors 

 to women members. At the March meeting 

 of the society, Mrs. Elizabeth Gray, Edin- 

 burgh; Miss Marion I. Newbigin, D.Sc, Edin- 

 burgh; Mrs. Ogilvie Gordon, D.Sc, Ph.D., 

 Aberdeen, and Miss Muriel Eobertson, Lon- 

 don, were elected ordinary fellows. 



The TJ. S. Geological Survey has just 

 opened at Denver a permanent branch office 

 to facilitate the transaction of its western 

 work, thus providing a base of supplies for 

 the large corps of engineers who are kept in 



the field many months each year, making 

 geologic studies of mineral deposits, conduct- 

 ing detailed topographic surveys for the base 

 maps of the geologic atlas of the United 

 States, mapping the great national forests, in- 

 vestigating surface and underground waters, 

 and collecting statistics of mineral production. 

 The establishment of such a branch office is 

 not only intended to. serve the convenience of 

 the survey corps, but it is designed also to 

 meet the great need of the western public for 

 a source of information less remote than 

 Washington. A supply of copies of the pub- 

 lications available for free distribution vsdll be 

 kept on hand, as well as a complete file of the 

 topographic maps, geologic folios, and other 

 publications of the survey subject to sale. All 

 of these publications will be open to inspection 

 by persons desiring information concerning 

 the subjects treated. Prospective purchasers 

 of maps and folios wiU be referred to the 

 nearest sales agent, and the free publications 

 will be distributed in Denver to those making 

 application. In short, the Denver office is 

 intended to serve the public in all matters 

 that lie legitimately within the province of the 

 United States Geological Survey. The office 

 is located in the Commonwealth Building and 

 was opened on the first of April. E. C. Miles, 

 special disbursing agent, is at present in 

 charge, and will answer all inquiries, dis- 

 tribute documents, and maintain a visitors' 

 register. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS 

 At the recent annual celebration of Found- 

 er's day at the University of Virginia, Presi- 

 dent Alderman announced that an endowment 

 fund of $1,000,000 had been completed dur- 

 ing the past year. Between November and 

 February $750,000 of this total was se- 

 cured in sums as follows : Andrew Carnegie, 

 $500,000; Oliver H. Payne, $50,000; children 

 of John B. Gary, $20,000; Christian Wo- 

 man's Board of Missions, $30,000 ; Thomas F. 

 Eyan, $25,000; Charles H. Senff, $25,000; 

 Charles Steele, $30,000; Eobert Bacon, $10,- 

 000; H. McK. Twombley, $10,000; General 

 Education Board, $50,000. The $500,000 

 given by Mr. Carnegie will become the per- 



