July 10, 1896,] 



SCIENCE. 



49 



dred dollars for the best Monograph on the Kite, 

 giving a full theory of its mechanics and sta- 

 bility, with quantitative computations ap- 

 pended. Further information may be obtained 

 from the Secretary, Mr. A. A. Merrill, P. O. 

 Box 1197, Boston, Mass. 



Mr. Egbert M. Pirs, 320 E. 14th street. 

 New York, will, beginning with July, edit and 

 publish a quarterly journal entitled Journal of 

 Communication, devoted to linguistic, metric and 

 numeric progress. 



The Atlantic Monthly for July contains an in- 

 teresting article by Mr. John Fiske, entitled 

 'The Century's Progress in Science.' 



Major J. W. Powell will be engaged dur- 

 ing the summer on a scientific expedition to the 

 coast of Maine, for the purpose of studying the 

 shell mounds. 



We learn from Nature that a preliminary 

 meeting has been held in Liverpool for the pur- 

 pose of taking steps for the establishment in 

 that city of a Zoological Garden on a scientific 

 basis, and on the model of that in Eegent's 

 Park, London. On the motion of Prof. Herd- 

 man, seconded by Dr. Forbes, the following 

 resolution was unanimously adopted : ' ' That 

 in the opinion of this meeting it is desirable, in 

 the interests of science and education in this 

 city, to establish Zoological Gardens, containing 

 a collection of living animals, and that those 

 present form a committee, with power to add 

 to their number, for the purpose of advancing 

 this object." The question of a site was consid- 

 ered, and it appeared that there was just now 

 a favorable opportunity of securing land in a 

 central position very suitable for the purpose. 

 It was resolved that the following gentlemen 

 be asked to form a sub-committee to inquire 

 fully into the matter and prepare a report : 

 Prof. Herdman, Dr. Forbes, Messrs. A. L. 

 Jones, A. A. Paton, A. S. Hannay, W. H. 

 Picton, W. E. Willink, F. J. Leslie and F. 

 Radcliflfe, 



The Macmillan Co. will issue shortly an 

 Elementary Solid Geometry by Prof. Henry D. 

 Thompson,, of Princeton University. 



The Council from the London Mathematical 

 Society has awarded the De Morgan Medal to 

 Mr. Samuel Eoberts. 



In a paper presented before the London 

 Physical Society on June 12th Prof. S. P. 

 Thompson stated that he had been unable to 

 obtain true reflection of the Eontgen rays 

 tbough most bodies, including air, gave diffuse 

 reflection. 



Lord Kelvin calls our attention to the fact 

 that in a letter to the London Times, subsequent 

 to the one quoted in our issue of May 22d, he 

 added the sentences : " The weight of a cubic 

 metre of water is a French ton. The cubic 

 decimetre of waters weighs a kilogramme, the 

 cubic centimetre, a gramme. ' ' These sentences 

 may be added at the middle of the second line 

 at the top of the second column of page 166 of 

 the last volume of this Journal. 



The International Medical Magazine for June 

 contains articles on X-ray photography in its 

 application to medicine by Prof. Arthur W. 

 Goodspeed, Prof. W. W. Keane and Dr. 

 Thomas G. Morton. The articles are illus- 

 trated by ten full-page plates showing the de- 

 tails of the skeleton in health and disease with 

 remarkable clearness. In the photographs of 

 the trunk and pelvis taken by Prof. Goodspeed, 

 the cervical vertebrse, the articulations of the 

 shoulder joint, etc., are shown with as great 

 clearness as the bones of the hand in the earlier 

 experiments. 



The bill permitting the use of horseless car- 

 riages on highways in Great Britain has passed 

 the House of Lords, but it is feared that the 

 pressure of business before the House of Com- 

 mons will prevent the bill from becoming a law 

 before the vacation. In the meanwhile several 

 companies have been incorporated for the 

 manufacture of horseless carriages, one Avith a 

 capital of $5,000,000. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. 



The University of Vermont dedicated, on 

 June 23d, two new buildings, Converse Hall, a 

 dormitory presented to the University by John 

 H. Converse at a cost of $125,000, and a 

 science building presented by Dr. Edward H. 

 Williams which, with its equipment, will cost 

 about $200,000. The dormitory was formally 

 presented to the University by Mr. Converse,. 



