SEPTEMBER 3, 1897. ] 
necessary for the establishment of a tentative 
meteorological station at the summit of Mount 
Kosciusko, in the southeastern extremity of Aus- 
tralia, at a height of about 8,000 feet. Mr. 
Wragge hopes that the comparison of the re- 
sults with those obtained from low-level stations 
will insure a permanent observatory being 
established in the interest of Australasia. 
M. JANSSEN was expected, says the Paris cor- 
respondent of the London Times, to Jeave Paris 
on August 21st to inspect his Mont Blanc ob- 
servatory. The scientific caravan will start 
from Chamonix at the beginning of September 
to take meteorological readings at an, altitude 
of 14,000 feet, the highest station in the world, 
and to study solar radiation. M. Perrotin, 
director of the Nice observatory, will, it is said, 
join the party in order to study the morning 
elongation of Venus and to ascertain the period 
of the planet’s rotation. Foreign men of science 
wishing to make the ascent will enjoy the hos- 
pitality of the establishment. 
AT the monthly general meeting of the Zoo- 
logical Society of London, held on August 19th, 
at their offices in Hanover-square, it was stated 
that the number of additions to the Society’s 
menagerie during the month of July had been 
102, among which special attention was called 
to a young pair of Babirussas (Babirussa al- 
furus), from Celebes, presented by the Duke of 
Bedford ; to an example of the thick-billed pen- 
guin (Hudyptes pachyrhynchus), from Stewart Is- 
land, New Zealand, deposited by the Hon. 
Walter Rothschild ; and also to a very large ex- 
ample of Daudin’s tortoise (Testudo daudini), 
deposited by the same gentleman. The Presi- 
dent delivered the silver medal of the Society 
to Mr. Alexander Whyte, F.Z.S., in acknowl- 
edgment of the valuable services he had ren- 
dered to zoological science by the large collec- 
tions he had made in every branch of natural 
history in British Central Africa, while acting 
as chief scientific officer to Sir Harry Johnston. 
THE second International Conference on Rail- 
way and Marine Hygiene will, as we have al- 
ready announced, meet at Brussels on September 
6th, 7th and 8th. Several governments and 
societies have appointed official delegates, and 
numerous papers have been promised. There 
SCIENCE. 
365 
will be three sections: (1) Organization of the 
Medical Services; (2) Guarantees of Personal 
Fitness; (8) Hygienic Rules and Regulations. 
The officials and medical officers of foreign rail- 
way companies can obtain free passes upon the 
Belgian state railways. Dr. J. De Lantsheere, 
56, Rue de |’ Association, Brussels, will supply 
further information. 
THE British Pharmaceutical Conference, which 
has recently concluded its sessions at Glasgow, 
will next year meet at Belfast, Dr. Symes, of 
Liverpool, being reelected President. One of the 
more interesting papers presented to the Con- 
ference was by Professor Atkinson, of London, 
showing that the people of Great Britain ex- 
pend annually £3,000,000 on patent medicine. 
In 1872 the annual revenue from patent medi- 
cine stamps was £82,000; ten years later that 
amount was doubled, and in 1892 the tax pro- 
duced £240,000. He thought that the govern- 
ment should exercise more control over the sale 
of these secret nostrums. 
THE Progrés médicale publishes a somewhat 
extended account of the International Biblio- 
graphical Conference which met in Brussels on 
August 2d, 3d and 4th. A special discussion 
took place on the Dewey decimal system of 
classification, which was opposed by M. Funck- 
Brentano and defended by M. Baudouin and 
others. Dr. Hayiland Field announced that 
the delayed Concilium bibliographicum for zool- 
ogy would soon begin the issue of cards. M. 
Baudouin stated that within three years nearly 
200,000 bibliographical cards with analyses, re- 
lating especially to the biological sciences, had 
been prepared for the Paris Institute of Bibliog- 
raphy. 
Mr. Moses P. HAanpy, special commissioner 
to the Paris exhibition of 1900, has gone to 
Paris to make arrangements for the space and 
location of exhibits from the United States. 
He is reported to have said before leaving that 
he thought 500,000 square feet of space would 
be required by American exhibitors, or more 
than four times as much as was in the exposi- 
tion in 1889. The exhibits in electrical and 
railway appliances are expected to be especially 
complete. A thorough educational exhibit will 
also be prepared. 
