APRIL 19, 1901. ] 
cal Association of the Louisiana Gulf Coast for 
the purpose of stationing wardens to protect 
the sea birds shows that action was not taken 
a@ moment too soon. Professor Beyer found 
that nearly all the breeding places of the birds 
had been destroyed by killing the birds them- 
selves and taking their eggs. Not a trace of 
birds was found on either Brush or Caillou is- 
lands, at one time the home of millions of sea- 
fowl. The same was true of Calumet and Cas- 
telle islands, on which every living thing had 
been killed. A few gulls and hens were found 
left on Timbalier Island, and there are said to 
be a few on Last Island which, however, could 
not be visited on account of the severe weather. 
Wardens were appointed wherever birds were 
found and the fishermen of the neighborhood 
promised to cooperate with the wardens in 
preventing the killing of the birds in the breed- 
ing season and the stealing of eggs. 
THE report of the British Consul at Naples 
for the past year, as summarized in the London 
Times, describes the recent progress of the 
Marine Zoological Station in that city, ‘the 
mother of all similar scientific establishments in 
the world.’ Its progress has continued with 
undiminished activity, and the number of biolo- 
gists of all nationalities who have carried out 
their investigations there has largely increased. 
During the past two years 63 and 71 scientists 
respectively have availed themselves of the op- 
portunities of research afforded by it. Among 
other students at the station there has been a 
regular succession of naval officers sent by the 
Italian, Russian, German and Spanish govern- 
ments for the purpose of undergoing a course of 
training in the commoner methods employed in 
capturing, investigating and preserving marine 
organisms. The work done at the station is 
for the most part of purely scientific interest, 
buta great many of the contributions to science 
are of great and immediate practical value. A 
report of great scientific and economic value 
has been prepared by the Cavaliere Lo Bianco, 
the permanent naturalist attached to the station. 
It contains the results of many years’ assiduous 
study of the seasons of the year at which the 
animals, as distinguished from the plants, which 
inhabit the Bay of Naples, breed. 
SCIENCE. 
639 
THE Royal Irish Academy has this year taken 
a step, says Nature, which will, it is hoped, 
still further establish its position in Ireland, 
and in the world of sciences and letters in gen- 
eral. It has adopted the principle of the bye- 
laws of the Royal Society of London, respect- 
ing the mode of election of members; the 
council is now empowered to select a number 
of persons, not exceeding twelve, in each year, 
from the list of candidates for membership pro- 
posed, and to recommend these to the body of 
members for election. The members may, at 
the single annual meeting at which elections 
now take place, substitute the name of any 
candidate already proposed for that of any can- 
didate selected by the council; but the number 
of candidates elected must not be greater than 
that fixed by the council for that particular 
year. Changes have been also made in the bye- 
laws so as to provide for the more frequent in- 
troduction of new blood into the council. The 
position of the Royal Irish Academy becomes at 
the same time defined in relation to the other 
great medium of scientific publication and inter- 
course in Dublin, the Royal Dublin Society. 
While the latter, by its objects and foundation, 
must be to a large extent a popular institution, 
performing its important public functions and 
scientific work by the support of an extensive 
body of members, the Royal Irish Academy is 
able, on the other hand, to maintain its mem- 
bership as a distinction, and to attract to itself, 
by this circumstance, those who are mainly 
concerned with the furtherance of research. 
PARTICULARS in regard to the research schol. 
arship founded by Mr. Andrew Carnegie in 
connection with the Iron and steel Institute 
of Great Britain, of which association Mr. Car- 
negie is a vice-president are given in the Lon- 
don Times. For this scholarship Mr. Carnegie 
presented to the institute twenty two $1,000 
Pittsburg, Bessemer and Lake Erie Rail- 
road Company 5-per-cent. debenture bonds, 
the income derived from which will be applied 
to awarding annually one or more scholarships 
of such value as may appear expedient to the 
council of the institute. The awards will be 
made on the recommendation of the coun- 
cil irrespectively of sex or nationality. Can- 
didates, however, must be under 35 years 
