446 
two subgroups,’ Dr. G. A. Miller, Cornell Uni- 
versity. 
‘A proof that there are no simple groups of 
order 1440, 1512, 1680 or 1800,’ Dr. G. H. 
Ling, Wesleyan University. 
‘On a relation between the totality of the 
elliptic functions and a line complex,’ Dr. H. 
F. Stecker, Northwestern University. 
‘Geometric construction of the elliptic integral 
of the second kind, and of the Weierstrass 
sigma-function,’ Dr. Virgil Snyder, Cornell 
University. 
‘Some applications of elliptic functions,’ Pro- 
fessor Alexander Pell, University of South 
Dakota. 
‘On Fresnel’s wave surface,’ Dr. L. T. More, 
University of Nebraska. 
THOMAS F. HOLGATE, 
Acting Secretary. 
EVANSTON, ILLINOIs. 
THE WORK OF FOREIGN MUSEUMS. 
THE annual reports of several foreign 
Museums have been received during the 
summer months, and from them one may 
obtain a fair idea of the work they are doing, 
the support they receive and the disad- 
vantages, mainly of lack of money and 
space, under which they labor. These re- 
ports comprise those of the Australian 
Museum (1897), Colombo Museum (1898), 
Museum Association of the Kingdom of 
Bohemia (1898), West Prussian Provincial 
Museum (1898), Castle Museum, Norwich 
(1898), Edinburgh Museum of Science and 
Art (1897), Corporation Museums and Art 
Galleries, Glasgow (1898), and Manchester 
Museum (1898-99). The first two institu- 
tions are government museums, the last 
four fall in the category of local museums, 
although that of Manchester, from its rela- 
tions with Owens College, is on a somewhat 
different basis from the others. The Mu- 
seum of Prag, and we believe the West 
Prussian Provincial Museums are, like 
various other European institutions, under 
the control of an association, although re- 
SCIENCE. 
[N.S. Von. X. No. 248. 
ceiving a subvention from the state, to 
which they are responsible. 
The Australian Museum leads the others 
in the matter of expenditures, although 
these only reach the sum of $35,000, and 
is doing much good work for the public 
in judiciously planned and well labeled ex- 
hibition pieces, and for science by con- 
stantly adding to its study series and pub- 
lishing the results obtained therefrom. The 
usual complaint is made of lack of room 
and lack of force, but the completion of a 
new series of well-built and well-equipped 
workrooms is announced forming the base- 
ment of what will later on form a new wing 
to the Museum building. The most impor- 
tant publication was the memoir on the 
zoology of the Funafuti Expedition of 1896, 
but two parts of the ‘Records’ were also 
issued. The MS. for the two parts ‘Accipi- 
tres and Striges’ of the new edition of Dr. 
E. P. Ramsay’s catalogue of birds is also 
ready. The number of accessions was 
11,000, mostly gifts, and the number of 
visitors 122,894. 
The Colombo Museum is practically pro- 
hibited from doing any work by the small- 
ness of its appropriation, 24,000 rupees 
(about $8,000), as this does not suffice to 
fairly meet the running expenses, since we 
are told that the wood work is suffering for 
the lack of paint. This is to be deplored, 
for the Museum is well located for original 
work, is the official Museum of Ceylon, and 
is well attended by the public as is shown 
by the record of 111,000 visitors. 
The activity of the Museum at Prag is 
shown by the numerous meetings of the 
various sections of the association by which 
it is controlled, while its collections have 
been extensively studied. The Director, 
Dr. Fric, gives some of the results of his 
studies in connection with his Fauna der 
Gaskohle and announces the completion of 
ten plates for that work. The expenses of 
the Museum amount to $24,000, a sum that 
