XovEMBKR la. liioa. 



SCIENCE. 



(337 



at the Ohio State University were witnessing 

 on November 6 the harvesting of a field of 

 corn for ensihige puri)oses by a machine oper- 

 ated by an old traction engine, the boiler ex- 

 ploded and pieces of iron were thrown through 

 the crowd of students. The engineer was 

 killed, and Vernon H. Davis, assistant pro- 

 fessor of horticulture, was injured. 



We learn from Nature that the bust of John 

 Dalton, presented to the Manchester Literary 

 and Philosophical Society by Sir Henry E. 

 Koscoe on the occasion of the centenary of the 

 announcement of the atomic theory, was un- 

 veiled on October 20. The secretary read the 

 following letter from Sir Henry Roscoe : "I 

 desire to present to the Literary and Philo- 

 sophical Society of Manchester a bronze bust 

 of Dr. Dalton, as a memento of the many 

 years of pleasant intercourse which I have in 

 past days spent in converse with its members, 

 and as a recognition of the honor which the 

 society has done me by electing me as an hon- 

 orary member, and in bestowing upon me its 

 Dalton iledal. The bust is the work of a dis- 

 tinguished sculptress. Miss Levick, and I be- 

 lieve that all those who have seen it agree with 

 me in esteeming it a powerful and lifelike 

 work of art. It will give me great satisfaction 

 to hear that the society accept my gift, and 

 that they value the bust as a work of art and 

 as a reminiscence of the donor." The presi- 

 dent, in formally unveiling the bust, observed 

 that it was a happy coincidence that this meet- 

 ing took place on the anniversary of the date 

 when Dalton communicated to the society his 

 paper on absorption of gases by water, in which 

 was given the first hint of the atomic theory. 



Dr. Fr.\nk Russell, one of the most prom- 

 ising of the younger American anthropolo- 

 gists, recently of Harvard University, died of 

 tuberculosis in Arizona on November 7. 



The death is announced of Dr. C. T. Hud- 

 son, F.R.S., known for his investigations on 

 the rotifers. 



At a meeting of the Kalamazoo Academy 

 of Medicine held on November 3, Dr. F. 6. 

 Novy presented the results of work carried on, 

 with the cooperation of Mr. McNeal, in the 

 Hygienic Laboratory of the University of 

 Michigan relative to the cultivation of the 



trypnnosomc of Nagana or the Tsetse-fly dis- 

 ease of South Africa. They have succeeded 

 in cultivating this flagellata, in vilro, for the 

 past two months (68 days), through six gen- 

 erations. The fresh active cultures reproduce 

 the disease in animals, modified cultures are 

 without virulence and may possibly serve as 

 vaccines. The method of cultivation is the 

 same as that employed for the cultivation of 

 rat trypanosomes, published in the Vaughan 

 Festschrift. The rat and Nagana trypano- 

 somes are the first pathogenic protozoa culti- 

 vated in pure condition outside of the body. 



It appears that Rear-Admiral R. B. Brad- 

 ford, chief of the Bureau of Equipment of the 

 Navy Department, in his annual report to 

 Secretary Moody, says that the commission 

 appointed to consider the que.stion of trans- 

 ferring to the Department of Commerce and 

 Labor the hydrographic ofiice, the naval ob- 

 servatory and the nautical almanac office, has 

 reached the conclusion that it would be un- 

 wise to transfer these offices from the juris- 

 diction of the Navy Department on account 

 of their nautical character and their indis- 

 pensable aid in preparing for war. The 

 bureau says it learns that it is proposed to 

 place these offices under civilian control, and 

 attach them to the secretary's office. 



The new observatory of Amherst College, 

 the corner stone of which was laid on June 23 

 last, has so far advanced toward completion 

 that the first series of regular observations 

 was begun by Professor Todd and his assistant, 

 Mr. Baker, on October 28. The sum of $100,- 

 000 has been raised for endowment, observatory 

 building, protection of the site, instrumental 

 equipment and the director's residence. 



As we stated last week, the Academy of 

 Natural Sciences of Philadelphia has received 

 from Dr. Thomas Biddle a collection of 

 anthropoid apes. It consists of mounted 

 skins and skeletons of the gorilla, two adult 

 specimens of the bald chimpanzee, .voung male 

 of the common chimpanzee and an aged male 

 orang. All were mounted by Umlauff of 

 Hamburg. The gorilla is an adult male in 

 perfect condition, and in life must have 

 weighed at least three hundred and twenty- 

 five pounds. At the regular meeting of the 



