January 29, 1897.] 



SCIENCE. 



145 



Large quantities of material in all groups of 

 plants, and animals (especially insects), will be 

 collected and properly prepared. In connec- 

 tion with the survey there has been founded an 

 Exchange Bureau, from which will be distrib- 

 uted all duplicate material. Those desiring 

 to correspond relative to specimens, literature, 

 or the work of the survey, should address : 

 Alabama Biological Survey, Auburn, Alabama. 



Retjter's Agency is informed that Mr. Moore, 

 of the Royal Society, has returned from Tan- 

 ganyika. Mr. Moore was sent out by the So- 

 ciety early in 1895 to examine the fauna of 

 Lakes Nyasa and Tanganyika. On account of 

 the remarkable specimens of jelly-fish which 

 have been sent home at different times by Mr. 

 A. J. Swann and Captain Hore, the idea was 

 formed that Lake Tanganyika must have once 

 had some connection with the sea and still re- 

 tained its partially marine fauna. Mr. Moore's 

 researches completely confirm this view. The 

 explorer is stated to have found not only re- 

 markable marine jelly-fish and deep-sea fish, 

 but also sponges in Lake Tanganyika. Mr. 

 Moore will remain for about three weeks at 

 Naples, in order to repack his collection before 

 going on to London. 



The report of the Pasteur Institute for the 

 quarter ending June 30th states that the total 

 number of persons under treatment was 316, of 

 which six died. Only twenty-three of the 

 patients were foreigners. 



A CHEMICAL laboratory has been fitted up in 

 the top floor of the extension of the Boston 

 State House, to be used by the State Board of 

 Health for the analysis of water and other pur- 

 poses. 



The London Times states that the Trustees 

 of the British Museum have recently acquired, 

 by purchase, a remarkable specimen, nearly 

 10ft. high, of the great extinct wingless bird, the 

 moa {Dinornis maximus), from New Zealand. 

 The intrinsic interest of this particular speci- 

 men rests on the ground that the skeleton is 

 that of a single individual, unmixed with the 

 bones of any other bird of the species. In this 

 respect it is, indeed, extremely rare, not more 

 than three, or at least four, similar examples 

 being known. There are, of course, several 



other specimens of Dinornis maximus to be seen 

 in the British and other museums, but these 

 have all been reconstructed from bones belong- 

 ing to more than one individual. The skeleton 

 now at South Kensington was discovered by 

 Captain F. W. Hutton, F.R.S., Curator of th& 

 Canterbury Museum, New Zealand, who, in 

 conducting some excavations at Invercargill, 

 Southland, came across the largest and most 

 varied collection of moa bones ever obtained 

 from one place, representing probably not fewer- 

 than 800 birds, none of them belonging to still 

 living species. 



It is reported that motor carriages are to be 

 introduced into New York in April by the New 

 York Cab Company, compressed air being used 

 to drive the carriages. The Hackney Vestry, 

 London, is considering the use of motor vans 

 and carts for watering the streets, collecting 

 garbage, etc. 



ELABOfeATE arrangements are being made 

 for the International Horticultural Exhibition 

 which will be held in Hamburg from May 1 to- 

 September 30, 1897. Besides a general perma- 

 nent exhibition, outdoor and indoor, open 

 throughout the summer, arrangements have 

 been made for special exhibitions of plants, etc. , 

 at different seasons. The permanent exhibi- 

 tion will consist of various classes of trees, 

 shrubs, herbaceous plants, groups of plants, 

 technical appliances, garden plants, preserved 

 fruits, wines and dried flowers and grasses. 

 The dates of the special exhibitions ai-e as fol- 

 lows: (1) Spring exhibition from May 1 to 7, 

 1897, for plants in season; (2) First special ex- 

 hibition. May 80th to June 3d, for pelargoniums, 

 floral arrangements, early vegetables ; (3) 

 Second special exhibition, July 2d to 6th, for 

 gloxinias and other bulbous plants, roses (cut 

 flowers), cut flowers or twigs of trees and 

 shrubs, floral arrangements (to consist chiefly 

 of roses; (4) Third special exhibition, July 30th 

 to August 3d, for begonias, carnations, cut 

 flowers (dahlias, gladioli and carnations), fruit 

 trees in pots; (5) Autumn exhibition, August 

 27th to September 5th, for plants in season in 

 pots (groups, single plants, novelties, etc.), 

 floral arrangements, vegetables; (6) Fruit exhi- 

 bition, September 17th to 30th. 



