398 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XV. No. 375. 



Division of Archeology, Field Columbian Mu- 

 seum. 



April 26. — 'The Crow Indians of Montana, A 

 Western Plains Tribe ' : Mr. S. C. tilMS, assistant 

 curator. Division of Ethnology, Field Columbian 

 Mifseuni. 



We learn from the London Times that the 

 Government of India, which some time since 

 selected an officer of the Forest Department to 

 study the insects injurious to forests, more 

 recently appointed an inspector-general of 

 agriculture. It is reported now to be consider- 

 ing a further important step in the same 

 direction, in the shape of the establishment of 

 a scientific board to cooperate with the inspec- 

 tor-general. Probably it would consist of an 

 economic botanist, entomologist, geologist and 

 chemist. Agriculture is by far the greatest of 

 Indian industries. The institution of a staS 

 of trained inquirers to bring the light of West- 

 ern science to battle with the legion of its 

 chief enemies — drought, insect pests, and 

 obstinate human ignorance — would be in 

 entire accordance with the enlightened spirit 

 of Lord Curzon's administration. 



Professoe M. Foster, secretary of the Eoyal 

 Society, has addressed a letter to the London 

 Times explaining the relation of the Eoyal 

 Society to the proposed British Academy. He 

 says : A committee of the Society was 

 appointed to consider various suggestions 

 which had been made to the Society as to the 

 representation of philosophico-historical stud- 

 ies in an 'academy,' and to state 'the various 

 reasons which may be urged for and against' 

 the several suggestions. It is quite incorrect 

 to speak of the eminent persons in question 

 as 'applicants' for membership, or of the 

 committee as appointed to consider whether 

 the Society could recognize their claims, or 

 should extend their charters in order so to 

 do, though the committee did incidentally 

 inquire into the powers given to the Society 

 by the charters, and came to the conclusion 

 that the above-mentioned studies could be 

 included in the work of the Society. The sug- 

 gestions were four in number — one proposing 

 the creation of an independent organization 

 and three proposing the promotion of these 

 studies within the Eoyal Society itself in 

 three different ways. The committee in its 



rejjort made no recommendations; it simply 

 'stated the reasons for and against.' The 

 council consulted the whole body of fellows 

 at a special meeting, and subsequently passed 

 a resolution, the meaning of which was that 

 it approved of the first suggestion. 



The British Meteorological Council has 

 presented a report to the Eoyal Society which 

 has been issued as a government blue book. 

 The work of the office is summarized under 

 the following heads : (1) Ocean Meteorology 

 — the collection, tabulation and discussion of 

 meteorological data for all parts of the ocean 

 traversed by British ships. The preparation 

 and issue of charts or other publications exhib- 

 iting the results obtained from the discussion 

 of the observations. The issue of meteorolog- 

 ical instruments for use on board the ships of 

 the Eoyal Navy, and for observers belonging 

 to the merchant service, with which is asso- 

 ciated the supply of instruments to the tele- 

 graphic reporting stations, etc. (2) Weather 

 Telegraphy — the collection of observations 

 transmitted by telegraph three times in each 

 day from selected stations in the British Isles 

 (chiefly on the coasts) and on the continent 

 of Europe, the preparation of a daily report 

 embodying the observations and of forecasts 

 of weather based upon them, and the issue of 

 warnings to ports on the coasts of the United 

 Kingdom whenever there are indications of 

 the' approach of severe storms. (3) Clima- 

 tology — the collection of information of vari- 

 ous kinds from observatories and other land 

 stations in the British Isles and from a few 

 stations in British possessions or in foreign 

 countries with the view of extending the 

 accurate knowledge of the meteorological con- 

 ditions obtaining in the various districts in 

 which the observations are made, and of the 

 changes to which they are subject. (4) 

 Library — for the collection and preservation 

 of weather maps and other publications issued 

 by the colonies and dependencies of the Brit- 

 ish Empire and by foreign countries, so that 

 they may be available for consultation by 

 those requiring information as to the weather 

 in various parts of the globe. (5) Miscel- 

 laneous investigations. (6) Publications. (Y) 

 Finance. 



