866 



SCIENCE. 



N. S. Vol. VIII. No. 207. 



27th, at 4 p. m., in Schermerhorn Hall, Co- 

 lumbia University, New York City. 



The Dutch Academy of Sciences has elected 

 the following foreign members: Professor E. C. 

 Pickering, Harvard University; Professor W. 

 C. R6ntgen,Wiirzburg; M. L. V. Delisle, Paris, 

 and Professor F. E. Thorpe, London. 



The French Academy has elected as corre- 

 spondent in the section of mineralogy M. De- 

 perret, who has been for many years professor at 

 Lyons, and is the author of numerous contribu- 

 tions to geology and paleontology. The other 

 nominees were M. M. Gonnard, O'Ehlert and 

 Peron. 



Peofessoe. a. S. Packard has been given 

 leave of absence from Brown University, and 

 will spend nine months in a trip to Egypt, Pal- 

 estine and the countries on the Mediterranean. 



Professor Josiah Eoyce, of Harvard Uni- 

 versity, leaves New York on December 20th 

 for Aberdeen, where he will give the Gifford 

 Lectures on 'Natural Religion.' He will re- 

 turn to America in February. 



Professor A. H. Church has been elected 

 President of the Mineralogical Society, London. 



Professor Koch, who, as we have already 

 stated, has been spending several months inves- 

 tigating malaria at Rome, now proposes to re- 

 turn to Africa to continue his studies on the 

 subject. 



The anniversary meeting of the Royal So- 

 ciety was held on November 30th, and the an- 

 nual dinner on the evening of the same day. 

 OfiBcers were elected and medals conferred in 

 accordance with the arrangements that we have 

 already announced. Lord Lister referred to 

 the Fellows of the Society who had died during 

 the year, of which there were sixteen, and de- 

 scribed the advance of science more especially 

 as related to the activities of the Society. At 

 the dinner in the evening, speeches were made 

 by the Lord Chancellor, the Bishop of London, 

 Lord Lister, Professor Oliver Lodge, Lord 

 Curzon and Lord Kitchener. 



The U. S. Fish Commission steamer Fish 

 Mawk is expected to leave Norfolk this week 

 for Porto Rico, where it will remain during the 



winter. The party it carries will make a care- 

 ful study of the various forms of life in the 

 waters about the island, and incidentally the 

 fauna and flora of the land will be studied and 

 collections made in various branches of natural 

 history. On the return of the steamer the ma- 

 terial gathered will be submitted to specialists, 

 and their united papers will form a comprehen- 

 sive report on the natural history of the island. 

 The presence of Mr. A. H. Baldwin as artist to 

 the expedition ensures good illustrations and 

 will make it possible to obtain figures of many 

 marine animals colored from life. Professor 

 B. W. Evermann is in charge, and he will be 

 assisted on the part of the Fish Commission by 

 Mr. H. F. Moore, E. C. Marsh and others. 

 Entomology will be cared for by Mr. August 

 Brusck, of the Department of Agriculture, while 

 Mr. A. B. -Baker will represent the National 

 Zoological Park. 



The authorities of the American Museum of 

 Natural History have consented to open the 

 Museum to members of the scientific societies 

 visiting New York on Tuesday, December 27th, 

 although ordinarily the Museum is closed on 

 Tuesdays. On presenting a card to any of the 

 curators, the visitor will be personally shown 

 the objects that may specially interest him. 



Thomas Sanderson Bulmer, M.D., CM., 

 F.S.A., died by suicide, at Sierra Blanca 

 Texas, on October 5th. He has pursued ama- 

 teur researches in American archaeology and 

 ethnology for several j'ears ; he made contribu- 

 tions of some note to Filling's bibliographies of 

 Indian linguistics ; during the past year he 

 made journeys through northern Mexico, visit- 

 ing ruins and collecting information concerning 

 Indian tribes. 



Dr. Ewald Geissler, professor of chem- 

 istry in the Veterinary School at Dresden, 

 died on October 15th, aged fifty years. 



Mr. Edwin Dunkin, F.R.S., the distin- 

 guished astronomer, died on the 26th inst. in 

 Kidbrooke-park-road, Blackheath. The Lon- 

 don Times states that he was the third son of 

 Mr. William Dunkin, of the ' Nautical Alma- 

 nac ' oflice, and was born at Truro in 1821. 

 After being educated partly in England and 



