Januakt 1, 1904.] 



SCIENCE. 



37 



In the October number of tbe Journal of 

 the Linnean Society the ' Enumeration of all 

 the Plants known from China Proper, For- 

 mosa, Hainan, Corea, the Luchu Archipelago 

 and the Island of Hongkong,' by Francis -B. 

 Forbes and William B. Hemsley, is carried 

 forward nearly through the Cyperacess. As 

 the sequence is that of Bentham and Hooker, 

 it is likely that a few more numbers will see 

 the end of this great work. 



In No. 247 of the Journal of the Linnean 

 Society (dated October, also) W. and G. S. 

 West publish an interesting paper on the 

 ' Scottish Freshwater Plankton,' which shows 

 that the Scottish phytoplankton ' is unique in 

 the abundance of its desmids.' 



CHEMISTRY OP PLANT AND ANIMAL LIFE. 



Professor Snyder, of the University of 

 Minnesota, has compiled a handy little volume 

 under the title of ' The Chemistry of Plant 

 and Animal Life,' which merits a notice here, 

 since it is an attempt to place within reach 

 of the beginner many of the chemical facts 

 which otherwise are inaccessible to him. It 

 is an elementary treatise and was originally 

 prepared for the students in the school of 

 agriculture of the university. This made it 

 necessary that the treatment should be quite 

 simple, and as nearly non-technical as possible. 

 It is not, therefore, a ' contribution ' to sci- 

 ence, but it is a contribution to the pedagogics 

 of science. The author has found how to 

 present the subject for the class of students 

 under consideration; a class characterized by 

 great earnestness and a desire to learn all that 

 can be reached, but whose scholastic prepara- 

 tion is somewhat defective. Difficult as is the 

 problem. Professor Snyder has successfully 

 solved it. He first gives about twenty chap- 

 ters to a simple statement (with experiments) 

 of general chemistry, and follows these with 

 such topics as ' the water-content of plants,' 

 ' the non-nitrogenous organic compounds of 

 plants,' ' the nitrogenous organic compounds 

 of plants,' ' chemistry of plant growth,' ' com- 

 position of fodders,' ' composition of wheat,' 

 etc. The book, while a simple one, and no 

 doubt here and there open to the criticism of 

 some confusion of details, is without question 



one which will be of great service to beginning 

 students, especially in the schools of agricul- 

 ture. A new edition is under way, and is to 

 appear soon. It should 'find place in many 

 schools. Charles E. Bessey. 



The Unr'eesity op Nebraska. 



THE CARNEGIE INSTITUTION. 



The trustees of the Carnegie Institution 

 have approved the recommendation of the ex- 

 ecutive committee that $10,000 be granted for 

 twenty tables at the Marine Biological Labora- 

 tory at Woods Hole, Mass., for 1904. Appli- 

 cations received prior to February 1, 1904, will 

 be considered, and twenty persons assigned to 

 the tables at the laboratory, for the season of 

 1904. 



The trustees have also approved of an appro- 

 priation for two tables at the Naples Marine 

 Biological Station, for which applications will 

 be received and considered up to February 1, 

 1904. 



It is desirable that all applications for re- 

 search assistantships shall be in the hands of 

 the committee by February 1. 



The regulations in regard to the research 

 assistantships are as follows: 



It is the purpose of the Carnegie Institution 

 of Washington, among other plans, to encour- 

 age exceptional talent by appointing a certain 

 number of research assistants. 



These positions will not be those commonly 

 known as , fellowships or scholarsliips ; nor is 

 the object of this provision to contribute to 

 the payment of mechanical helpers or of assist- 

 ants in the work of instruction. It is rather 

 to discover and develop, under competent 

 scrutiny and under favorable conditions, such 

 persons as have unusual ability. It is not in- 

 tended to provide means by which a student 

 may complete his courses of study, nor to give 

 assistance in the preparation of dissertations 

 for academic degrees. Work of a more ad- 

 vanced and special character is expected of all 

 who receive appointment. 



The annual emolument will vary according 

 to circumstances. As a rule, it will not exceed 

 $1,000 per aimum. No limitations are pre- 

 scribed as to age, sex, nationality, graduation 

 or residence. Appointments will, at first, be 

 made for one year, but may be continued. 



