July 27, 1900.] 



SCIENCE. 



159 



infested with innumerable mosquitoes of the 

 malarial variety. 



A BLACK bear for the N. Y. Zoological Park 

 recently escaped while being transferred from 

 a truck to the enclosure in the Park. It 

 scratched Dr. Hornaday, director of the Park, 

 and an attendant, and was strangled in the at- 

 tempt to catch it. 



It is said that three of the surveying parties 

 recently sent to Alaska by the United States 

 Geological Survey are now at work in the 

 Nome district and its extension in the Seward 

 Peninsula. They are in charge of Messrs. E. 

 C. Barnard, A. H. Brooks and W. J. Peters. 

 Mr. Barnard will make a topographic map on a 

 scale of four miles to the inch, and Mr. Brooks 

 will make geological investigation covering the 

 area thus mapped. He will determine the ex- 

 tent of the gold-bearing formation, and trace out 

 the conditions of occurrence of the veins from 

 which the placer gold has been derived. He has 

 submitted a report which speaks of the adverse 

 conditions prevailing at Nome. He says that 

 large numbers of persons on the beach were with- 

 out shelter or food, and verifies the reports of 

 the presence of smallpox on the vessels, and the 

 probability of a smallpox epidemic there. Mr. 

 F. C. Schrader, under date of June 14th, re- 

 ports the arrival of the Copper Eiver surveying 

 party at Valdes. This party is to make a topo- 

 graphic and geologic survey of an area of 3000 

 square miles in the Copper River region, where 

 valuable copper deposits are reliably reported 

 to exist. 



The Windward has left Sydney, B. C, for 

 Etah, North Greenland, with supplies for the 

 Peary expedition. It is, however, said that the 

 ice floes this year are unusually heavy and ex- 

 tensive, and that the Windiuard will experience 

 great difSculty in going North and will prob- 

 ably be unable to reach Etah. 



The British Medical Journal states that on 

 the initiative of Professor W. D. Scherwinsky 

 of Moscow, a permanent committee for the 

 study of tuberculosis as a national scourge has 

 been formed in Eussia. Professor Scherwinsky 

 himself is the President ; the other members 

 are Messrs. Ph. M. Blumenthal, G. N. Gabrit- 

 schewsky, F. A. Guetier, L. J. Golubinin, G. 



J. Gurin, P. J. Kurshin, A. G. Petrowski, J. 

 W. Popofl", A. D. Solokoflf, and A. N. Ustinoflf. 

 The committee which has met twice a month 

 since the beginning of April has drawn up for 

 itself the following program of work : (1) Re- 

 ports on the communications made on tuber- 

 culosis to the PirogoiF Congress and other med- 

 ical societies in Russia ; (2) reports of foreign 

 congresses on tuberculosis ; (3) reports on tu- 

 berculosis as an infectious disease (diagnosis, 

 etiology — heredity, individual predisposition, 

 external influences, mode of diffusion, economic 

 and social factors) ; (4) statistical data respect- 

 ing tuberculosis in Russia ; (5) legislative meas- 

 ures and ordinances in regard to tuberculosis 

 of human beings and beasts ; (6) sanatoria, 

 koumiss establishments, etc. ; (7) the means 

 actually in use, and which should be used, for 

 the prevention of tuberculosis in the diflferent 

 provinces of Russia; (8) tuberculosis in ani- 

 mals and its relation to the disease in human 

 beings. 



Nature states that the grant of lOOOZ. in aid of 

 the work of the Marine Biological Association ; 

 the site of the National Physical Laboratory at 

 Kew ; and the grant to the British School at 

 Athens, were brought before the House of Com- 

 mons upon the vote to complete the sum of 

 50,724Z. for scientific investigation. It was 

 urged by Mr. Gibson Bowles that the grant to 

 the Marine Biological Association should be 

 largely increased ; and by Lord Balcarres that 

 the vote of 7000Z. for building and equipping 

 the National Physical Laboratory should not 

 bind the treasury to adhere to the site which 

 has been proposed. Mr. Hanbury said it 

 should be borne in mind that the grant of 

 lOOOZ. to the Marine Biological Association was 

 not the only grant made in connection with the 

 fisheries of the United Kingdom. A grant was 

 given to the Fishery Board of Scotland for the 

 purpose of scientific investigation, and similar 

 assistance was given to the Irish fisheries. 

 Under present conditions there did not seem 

 to be any urgent necessity to increase the 

 grant. The Treasury has very little voice in 

 the matter of a physical laboratory ; it has 

 acted on the recommendation of a committee 

 of the Royal Society. It was absolutely neces- 

 sary to find a site near Kew Observatory, and 



