April 27, 1900.] 



SGIENGE, 



677 



pool, after an illness lasting several weeks. 

 He was 57 years of age. As a collector of rare 

 and curious animals Mr. Cross was without a 

 rival, and probably no name was so well known 

 in the remote regions where wild beasts are 

 hunted and captured as his. His place of busi- 

 ness in Earle street, not far from the Liverpool 

 Exchange, was always full of strange and in- 

 teresting beasts, and had a fame which prob- 

 ably no similar collection for purposes of trade 

 has ever enjoyed. Here proprietors of zoolog- 

 ical colletions and travelling menageries and all 

 persons interested in animals and reptiles could 

 count on finding objects worthy of attention, 

 and here all importers of wild animals brought 

 their wares. In addition to his chief establish- 

 ment in Liverpool Mr. Cross had branches in 

 Africa, America and China. He carefully 

 studied all the living creatures brought under 

 his notice, and was not only able to estimate 

 their value from a commercial point of view, 

 but also knew the best methods of treating 

 them in captivity. Besides his large stock of 

 animals Mr. Cross collected all sorts of curiosi- 

 ties, such as china, weapons, skins, and rare 

 shells. 



The Arctic steamer Windivard will sail from 

 New York, in July, under American registry, 

 by virtue of a bill recently signed by President 

 McKinley. It will be under the command of 

 Capt. S. W. Bartlett, of Newfoundland, who 

 commanded the Diana and the Hope. The 

 movements after joining Lieut. Peary, who 

 is wintering in Etah, will be determined by 

 him. 



The Minnesota Botanical Society was given 

 preliminarjr organization at a meeting held 

 in Minneapolis, April 14, 1900. Thirty-four 

 members of the committee on organization 

 were declared fellows of the Society, and a 

 committee on constitution was appointed to re- 

 port to the Fellows in June. 



A CALL signed by Dr. Hexamer, President of 

 the Farmers' Club of the American Institute ; 

 Dr. N. L. Britton, Director of the New York 

 Botanical Garden, and James W. Withers, of 

 American Gardening, has been issued for a 

 meeting to be held in the museum building of 

 the New York Botanical Garden, Bronx Park, 



for the purpose of organizing a ' New York 

 Society of Horticulture.' 



We learn from Nature that the summer meet- 

 ing of Cambridge University will be held on 

 August 2-15th, and August 15-27th. Among 

 the lectures to be delivered in the section on 

 scientific progress are the following : Physical 

 Science : The development of the nebular theory 

 in the nineteenth century, by Sir Robert Ball, 

 F.R.S. ; The spectroscope in astronomy, by Mr. 

 Arthur Berry ; The wave-theory of light, by 

 Sir George Stokes Bart, F.R.S. ; Advances in 

 the science of electricity, by Professor J. J. 

 Thomson, F.R.S.; The conservation of energy, 

 by Professor J. A. Ewing, F.R.S.; Chemistry 

 and its applications, by Mr. M. M. Pattison 

 Muir ; Electro- chemical methods, by Mr. D. J. 

 Carnegie. Biological Science : The theory of 

 evolution and its influence on thought and re- 

 search, under arrangement ; Researches on the 

 brain, by Dr. Alex. Hill. There will also be 

 lectures on some aspects of advance in the fol- 

 lowing sciences : Geology, by Professor T. 

 McK. Hughes, F.R.S.; Anthropology, by Pro- 

 fessor A. Macalister, F.R.S.; Agriculture, by 

 Professor W. Somerville ; Bacteriology, by Pro- 

 fessor Sims Woodhead. Mr. H. Yule Oldham 

 will give a lecture on Geographical exploration 

 in the nineteenth century ; Professor W. M. 

 Davis of Harvard University, will give six lec- 

 tures On the study of the development of land 

 forms. The study of special points in the fol- 

 lowing departments will be undertaken in sec- 

 tional meetings : Chemistry and physics, under 

 the direction of Mr. A. W. Clayden ; Evolution, 

 under the direction of Mr. F. W. Keeble, Mr. 

 C. Warburton, and others; Anthropology, under 

 the direction of Professor A. C. Haddon, F.R.S. 

 There will in addition be arranged, primarily 

 for teachers, practical courses in chemistry and 

 geography. 



The National Educational Association's spe- 

 cial committee charged with the inquiry into 

 the proper seating, lighting, heating and ven- 

 tilating of the school buildings, offers a prize of 

 $200 for the' best essay submitted on each of 

 those topics, and of $100 for the second best 

 essay. Each essay shall be limited to ten thous- 

 and words and shall be submitted in printed or 



