April 25, 1919] 



SCIENCE 



399 



29. There will be six instructors in attendance 

 and ten regnlar courses are offered, including 

 work in general zoology and physiology, the 

 classification and ecology of marine inverte- 

 brates, economic zoology with reference to ma- 

 rine invertebrates and to fishes, invertebrate 

 embryology, marine botany and special work. 

 An announcemenit will be sent on application 

 to the Hopkins Marine Station, Pacific Grove, 

 California. 



Professor J A. Udden, director of the Bu- 

 reau of Economic Geology and Technology 

 of the University of Texas, reports that much 

 light upon the possible mineral contents of 

 Texas may be obtained by the keeping of 

 records of the holes that are being drilled in 

 search of oil in various parts of the state. 

 It is the theory of many geologists that large 

 potash beds underlie parts of west Texas, 

 and it is thought that this, or other valuable 

 mineral may be discovered in the wild-cat oil 

 wells that are now being drilled in nearly all 

 the counties of west Texas, though oil is 

 not brought to light. Two years ago the 

 United States government sent seven men, ex- 

 perts in their several branches, to Clifiside, 

 twelve miles north of Amarillo, where a per- 

 manent camp was established, a first-class 

 derrick put up, and a complete laboratorj' 

 established to make exhaustive studies of the 

 salts that might be obtained. The results of 

 this investigation have not been published so 

 far, but it is believed enough has been found 

 to warrant further observations. Potash has 

 been found but not in workable quantities. 

 For the present it is not expected that further 

 explorations will be made by the government. 

 The laboratory established at Cliffside, how- 

 ever, will continue to examine cores from any 

 wells that may be sent in. The Bureau of 

 Economic Geology and Technology of the 

 vmiversity has also made similar analyses and 

 •will continue to make them. 



The Mexico City correspondent of the 

 Journal of the American Medical Associa- 

 tion wTites that according to recently pub- 

 lished statistics, there were 21,915 deaths 

 recorded in the city of Mexico during 1918, 



and only 7,542 births, which seems to indicate 

 that the popuJation has been reduced by 14,- 

 373. But this last figure can not be regarded 

 as accurate because there are always a number 

 of persons who fail to comply with the official 

 regulations for notification in the respective 

 bureaus of the birth of their children. But 

 even making allowance for all this, there is 

 no doubt that the death rate exceeded the 

 birth rate. Influenza was responsible for 1,935 

 deaths, syphilis for 232, bronchitis for 1,556, 

 bronchopneumonia for 1,456, pneumonia for 

 2.312, enteritis for 5,496, and various ailments 

 for the other deaths. 



Nature states that the Linen Industrj- Re- 

 search Association of Belfast is about to ap- 

 point a director of research at a salary of not 

 less than £1,000 per year. The selected candi- 

 dates will be expected to make a survey of 

 the entire field of research in the linen in- 

 dustry, to draft a program of research, and 

 to organize and supervise the carrj-ing out of 

 the scheme. 



Two new greenhouses are being completed 

 at the New York Botanical Garden, built 

 through a gift of $100,000 made for the pur- 

 pose two years ago by Daniel and Murray Gug- 

 genheim. These greenhouses form a part of 

 Public ConseiTatory Range No. 2 on the 

 eastern side of the garden. The larger of the 

 two is designed as a central display greenhouse. 

 Included is a large room where lectures on 

 plant life will be delivered. The smaller of the 

 new greenhouses is designed as an orchid 

 greenhouse to hold the large collection of 

 orchids already accumulated at the garden and 

 others which will be brought from tropical 

 America. 



Owing to a reduced appropriation for its 

 work, the American Museum of Natural His- 

 tory finds it necessary greatly to curtail its 

 activities, and announces that one half of the 

 exhibition halls — about 17, it is estimated — 

 have been closed because of lack of funds to 

 pay attendants. The museum is now open 

 from 10 to 4, instead of from 9 to 5, daily. 

 Retrenchment plans include also the elimina- 

 tion of evening lectures in the museum build- 



