628 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. III. No. 69. 



though they do not compare favorably with the 

 great American observatories. According to 

 the description in the London Times, the build- 

 ings Consist of the observatory proper, the offii- 

 cial residence of the. Astronomer Eoyal, the 

 residence of the assistant astronomers and sub- 

 sidiary buildings. The Observatory is a T- 

 shaped building, the head of the T facing the 

 north with a frontage of 180 feet, and having 

 at each end a telescoj)e tower, of which the 

 eastern is 75 feet high and 40 feet in diameter, 

 and the western is 44 feet by 27 feet. The 

 former contains the most important instrument 

 in the observatory — a new refracting telescope 

 of 15-inch aperture. The latter contains the 

 reflecting telescope, removed from the Calton 

 observatory, which has an aperture of 2 feet, 

 and which is to be used in astro-physical re- 

 searches. From the western tower a sloping 

 gangway leads upwards to the transit house, in 

 which is a telescope of 8J inch diameter resting 

 on a horizontal axis. Connected with the Ob- 

 servatory, there are a well-equipped photo- 

 graphic laboratory, and a library with accom- 

 modation for some 30,000 volumes, which is 

 already well furnished with the Dun Echt col- 

 lection. 



The director of the Observatory is Mr. Ralph 

 Copeland, Astronomer Royal for Scotland and 

 Professor of Astronomy in the University of 

 Edinburgh. 



OCCURRENCE OF THE NATIVE W^OOD RAT AT 

 W^ASHINC4T0N, D. C. 



The Alleghany "Wood Rat, Neotoma pennsyl- 

 vanica, inhabits the Alleghany plateau from the 

 mountains of North Carolina to southern New 

 York. In Virginia it is known to occur at 

 several localities in the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

 Recently, in trapping among the rocky cliffs 

 along the west side of the Potomac River, four 

 miles above Washington and a quarter of a mile 

 from the old boundary line of the District of 

 Columbia, I secured five of these rats. They 

 are fairly common at this point, which they 

 doubtless reach by following the river cliffs 

 from Harper's Ferry, where the Potomac cuts 

 through the Blue Ridge. No doubt they come 

 a little farther down, probably to the end of the 

 high ridge opposite Georgetown. 



The rats were caught under masses of broken 

 rock and in clefts and caverns in the lodges, 

 where their nests, stick piles and runways may 

 be seen by any one who will take the trouble 

 to look for them. Vernon Baile\% 



GENERAL. 



The French Association for the Advancement 

 of Science met at Tunis during the first week of 

 the present month. M. Paul Dislere, in his 

 Presidential address, reviewed navigation on 

 the Mediterranean, beginning with ancient Car- 

 thage. M. de Bort, the Secretary, according 

 to custom, described the previous meeting at 

 Marseilles, losses by death, and honors con- 

 ferred on members. M. Galante, the Treasurer, 

 reported receipts for the current year amount- 

 ing to 99,661 fr. and a reserve fund amounting 

 to 1,190,100 fr. The meeting next year will be 

 at St. Etienne. 



The American Medical Association, in con- 

 junction with the American Academy of Medi- 

 cine and other associations, meets this year at 

 Atlanta, beginning on May 2d. Many papers 

 and discussions, interesting not only to mem- 

 bers of the medical profession, but also to other 

 men of science, are announced. 



An examination of the recently published 

 list of the Deutsche chemische Gesellschafl reveals 

 some interesting statistics. Out of 3,020 mem- 

 bers, 1,274 are from foreign countries. Of these 

 the United States stand first with 261, and the 

 United Kingdom a close second with 236. Then 

 follows Austria, 175 ; Switzerland, 145 ; Rus- 

 sia, 124 ; France, 76 ; Holland, 75 ; Italy, 67, 

 and Sweden, 28. Belgium, South America, 

 Denmark, Japan, Norway, Finland and the 

 East Indies follow with between five and ten ; 

 Canada, India, South Africa, Portugal, Rouma- 

 nia, Bulgaria, China, West Indies, Spain, Servia, 

 Greece, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, East 

 Roumelia, Persia and Palestine are represented, 

 the last four by a single member each. The 

 Society might with justice claim to be inter- 

 national. Turkey is the only country in 

 Europe with no member. 



The Societe Nationale d' Horticultm'e de France 

 will hold an international exposition from May 

 20-25, 1896. During that period an Inter- 



