674 
portation, afforded opportunity for the study 
of localities almost inaccessible to travellers . 
That the journey was completed with so 
little discomfort and with so great advan- 
tage to those taking it reflects great credit 
upon Dr. Tschernychew’s management. 
The excursion to Finland, in charge of Dr. 
Sederholm, was taken by somewhat more 
than 100. That region is not so far in miles 
from civilization as is that of the Urals, but 
the perplexities of one in charge of a 
large party are hardly less. The success of 
this excursion was complete, and Dr. Seder- 
holm earned the gratitude of those who ac- 
companied him. The Esthonia excursion, 
under Dr. F. Schmidt, had only twenty-five 
members, but, according to the testimony 
of them all, the two weeks were spent 
pleasantly and with great profit. 
A fourth excursion began on September 
5th, at the close of the Congress. This was 
toa more distant part of the empire, extend- 
ing to the Caucasus and in one division to 
Mt. Ararat. 
During the week allotted to meetings of 
the Congress, two days were given to excur- 
sions. One to Peterhof, the summer palace 
of the Czar, was for pleasure only; the 
other, combining pleasure and instruction, 
was to the Falls of Imatra—a long excursion 
in short time. The excursionists left St. 
Petersburg at 6:30 a.m. and reached the 
Falls atl p.m. They remained there until 
7 p.m. and then returned, reached Sb. 
Petersburg at 1 a.m., thoroughly fatigued 
for the most part, but well repaid. The 
hospitality in the city began to manifest 
itself on the evening prior to the assembling 
of the Congress, when the Committee of 
Organization gave a reception to the mem- 
bers at the Germania club. On August 
30th the Grand Duke Constantine gave a 
reception at his palace to about 200 dele- 
gates and the Mayor of the city held a 
grand function at the Hotel du Ville on 
September 2d. 
SCIENCE. 
[N. S. Vou. VI. No. 149. 
The Congress was opened at noon on 
August 29, 1897, in the large hall of the 
Zoological Museum of the Academy of 
Science. Addresses of welcome were de- 
livered by the Grand Duke Constantine, 
the Princess of Oldenburg and the Minister 
of Agriculture, to which Professor Capellini 
replied on behalf of the Congress. The list 
of officers prepared by the Bureau was read 
by Professor Renevier and chosen by the 
Congress, after which an address was made 
by Professor Karpinsky, the President, who 
was followed by Dr. Tschernychew, the 
Secretary-General, who outlined the busi- 
ness which would be presented by the 
Council. A brief address by the President 
of the Geographical Society closed the exer- 
cises and the Congress adjourned for the 
day. 
The Congress sat twice each day on Mon- 
day, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. 
The morning sessions were devoted to dis- 
cussion of principles of nomenclature and 
to transaction of such matters as were pre- 
sented by the Council, while those of the 
afternoon were taken up in the reading of 
memoirs. 
The morning discussions were simplified 
greatly by the memoirs of Bittner, Loewen- 
son-Lessing and others prepared at request 
of the committee and printed prior to the 
Congress. It must be conceded that the 
results of these discussions do not appear 
at first glance to be of very great impor- 
tance; the points agreed upon were such as 
impose no burdens and they were adopted 
unanimously. But where the question 
proved to be serious and material differ- 
ences of opinion seemed likely to develop, 
the matter was referred to a committee for 
consideration and for report to the next 
Congress. This, however, was the wisest 
mode of procedure. The Congress has no 
power to bind its members except in s0 far 
as they consent, so that it is not the place 
in which to thrust one’s conceptions too 
