October 26, 1906.] 



SCIENCE. 



5l3 



tures in the Zoological Park, whether mammal, 

 bird or reptile. 



The British Medical Journal states that 

 during the weeks ended August 18, 25, and 

 September 1 and 8 the number of deaths from 

 plague in India amounted to 1,451, 2,113, 2,522 

 and 3,134, respectively. The principal figures 

 are : Bombay Presidency, 8Y9, 1,288, 1,388 and 

 1,850; Bengal, YO, 97, 115 and 83; United 

 Provinces, 109, 164, 49 and 163; Central 

 Provinces, 99, 109, 190 and 362 ; Madras Presi- 

 dency, 8, 100, 9 and 10; Burmah, 182, 132, 112 

 and 92; Central India, 0, 197, 303 and 362. 

 Baluchistan and the Frontier Provinces re- 

 main free from the plague. The worst area 

 in the Bombay Presidency was Poona City, 

 with 439 seizures and 399 deaths. Bubonic 

 plague in monkeys and cats is reported from 

 two districts in the United Provinces, In the 

 jungles a number of wild animals are reported 

 to have died of the disease. 



We learn from the Experiment Station 

 Record that in order to make better provisions 

 for research work in forestry, and to secure a 

 permanent stafP of forest experts for scientific 

 research, as well as for training candidates 

 for the government and state forestry service, 

 the Imperial Forestry School at Dehra Dun, 

 India, has been enlarged and hereafter will be 

 known as the Imperial Forestry Research In- 

 stitute and College. The college staff will 

 include officers of the imperial service, hold- 

 ing the following positions : (1) Sylviculturist, 

 who will make sylviculture his special study. 

 (2) Superintendent of forest working plans, 

 who will collect and collate statistics of the 

 results of forestry management throughout 

 India. (3) Forest zoologist, who will investi- 

 gate the damages caused by insects and other 

 pests. (4) Forest botanist, who will study 

 the botany of forest plants, distribution of 

 species, diseases of forest trees, etc. (5) 

 Forest chemist, who will investigate the chem- 

 ical properties of soils and forest produce. 

 (6) Forest econoraist, who will study economic 

 methods of commercial timber production and 

 marketing. These officers, while engaged pri- 

 marily in research work, will each deliver a 

 course of lectures on his special subject in the 

 college, and take part in the training of the 



students. The work of instruction, however, 

 will for the most part be carried on by four 

 assistant instructors. 



It is stated in Nature that the opening ses- 

 sion of the International Congress on Methods 

 of Testing was held in the Palais des Acade- 

 mies, Brussels, on September 3, under the 

 presidency of Mr. F. Berger (Vienna). Five 

 hundred members were present from eighteen 

 diiferent countries. Addresses of welcome 

 were delivered by Count de Smet de Naeyer, 

 the Belgian prime minister, and by Mr. H. 

 Raemarckers, secretary of the Department of 

 Railways. An address was then given by Pro- 

 fessor F. Schiile (Zurich) in memory of the 

 deceased president, Ludwig von Tetmejer. A 

 report on the work of the executive council 

 since the last congress was presented by Mr. 

 Berger, and interesting papers on the iron and 

 steel industry of Belgium and on the Belgian 

 cement industry were read by Baron E. de 

 Laveleye and Mr. E. Camerman. The morn- 

 ings of September 4, 6 and 6 were devoted to 

 the work of the sections and the afternoons to 

 excursions. Excursions to the works of the 

 Cockerill Company at Seraing and to Ostend 

 were arranged for September 7, 8 and 9. The 

 congress is held under the patronage of the 

 King of the Belgians, who on September 2 

 received the members of council. 



According to the Electrical Worlds the 

 Vienna Imperial Academy of Sciences has 

 announced the result of its examination of 

 uranium earth from the Joachimsthal state 

 mines in Bohemia, conducted in the academy's 

 laboratories in Vienna. About 50 tons of 

 earth were subjected to tests and experiments, 

 yielding radium products worth at the present 

 market price more than $200,000. Dr. Hart- 

 inger conducted the investigation. The prod- 

 ucts thus obtained will not be sold, but will 

 remain the property of the academy and will 

 be used for further scientific research. The 

 Austrian ministry of agriculture has decided 

 to build its own laboratories at Joachimsthal 

 for the production of radium salts. It is also 

 proposed to exploit the healing properties of 

 radium by establishing a health resort and 

 using the springs in the mines for curative 

 purposes, both in baths and for drinking. 



