238 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXIII. No. 580. 



The department of zoology of the Univer- 

 sity of California announces a series of twelve 

 illustrated lectures by members of the depart- 

 ment on the problems of marine biology, to 

 which the public is cordially invited. The lec- 

 tures will be based in part upon the work of 

 the Marine Biological Station at San Diego. 



The Philippine wood collection of the 

 American Museum of Natural Plistory h'as 

 been removed to the corridor on the ground 

 floor leading from the north wing to the engine 

 room, where it will be installed in a manner 

 to show to the best advantage the beautiful 

 grains and colors of the specimens. This col- 

 lection is the most complete that ever has been 

 made, and it represents all the woods of the 

 Philippines which are valuable for manufac- 

 turing purposes. 



We learn from the British Medical Journal 

 that an exposition of inventions, appliances, 

 and other objects connected with hygiene, per- 

 sonal and public, will take place under the 

 patronage of the Archduke Leopold Salvator 

 in Vienna in March and April, 1906. Among 

 the members of the honorary committee are 

 Professor von Esmarch, of Kiel ; Professors von 

 Leyden and Eubner of Berlin ; Professors Frei- 

 lierr von Eiselberg, Schauta, von Stoffella, 

 Benedikt and von Wagner, of Vienna ; Dr. 

 ISTeumayer, deputy burgomaster, Staff-Surgeon- 

 Oeneral Professor Kratschmer and Professor 

 Schattenfroh, president of the Vienna Insti- 

 tute of Hygiene. 



The annual general meeting of the Entomo- 

 logical Society of London was held on January 

 17, at the rooms of the society, 11 Chandos- 

 street. Cavendish-square. The report showed 

 that, for the first time in the society's history, 

 the number of ordinary fellows had reached 

 500. The officers and council were elected for 

 the session 1906-7 as follows: President, Mr. 

 E. Merrifield; /ion. treasurer, Mr. A. H. Jones; 

 hon. secretaries, Mr. H. Rowland-Brown and 

 Commander J. J. WaUter, E.E". ; librarian, Mr. 

 G. C. Champion, E.Z.S. ; other members of the 

 council, Mr. G. J. Arrow, Mr. A. J. Chitty, 

 Mr. J. E. Colin, Dr. F. A. Dixey, Mr. H. Goss, 

 Mr. W. J. Kaye, Mr. H. J. Lucas, Professor 

 E. B. Poulton, F.R.S., Mr. L. B. Prout, Mr. E. 



Saunders, F.R.S., Mr. R. S. Standen and Mr. 

 C. O. Waterhouse. 



We learn from the Scottish Geographical 

 Magazine that Mr. Henryk Arctowski, late of 

 the Belgian Antarctic Expedition, is engaged 

 in developing a scheme for the international 

 exploration of the South Pole. He proposes 

 to begin the systematic exploration of the 

 Antarctic regions by a preliminary circum- 

 polar expedition, which is to be organized in 

 Belgium, and is to leave Antwerp next autumn 

 with the object of exploring the most unknown 

 portions of the Antarctic in the hope of find- 

 ing new lands and suitable places for the 

 establishment of winter stations. These would 

 be utilized by future expeditions, the inten- 

 tion being to establish a series of scientific 

 stations in South Polar regions. Mr. Arc- 

 towski proposes to utilize an automobile of 

 special construction to penetrate the interior 

 of the Antarctic continent. If the experiment 

 proves -a success, it might be possible to set 

 up a station far within the continent, whose 

 scientific data would add greatly to the value 

 of the observations made at the other stations 

 which it is proposed to establish. 



It is stated in Nature that at Christiania, 

 on December 29, 1905, there gathered together 

 under the presidency of Mr. John Sebelien a 

 number of men interested in questions of agri- 

 culture and scientific subjects to celebrate the 

 acquisition of national independence in the 

 past year. A fund was opened for the purpose 

 of fostering research in the subject of Nor- 

 wegian agriculture, to which fund all Nor- 

 wegians, both at home and abroad, are invited 

 to subscribe. When the sum of $4,000 has 

 been subscribed, it is proposed to invite prize 

 essays on particular questions, and to reward 

 Norwegian scientific work in certain branches 

 of learning; and later still it is intended 

 financially to aid research work in agricultural 

 science directly. 



Consul Keene, of Geneva, reports that the 

 opening of the Simplon Tunnel, which was 

 fixed for April 1, has been postponed to May, 

 by action of the Swiss authorities. He says : 

 " The official opening of the new international 



