April 27, 1900.] 



SCIENCE. 



679 



death to two sparrows, which are sold for one 

 farthing. 



The New York Evening Post states that the 

 exhibit of the division of forestry for the Paris 

 Exposition is now complete and on the way to 

 Paris. It will be one of the most novel of the 

 government exhibits and will be wholly distinct 

 from the commercial features of lumbering to 

 be shown iu another department. The display 

 will be in the form of a hall or pagoda, the walls 

 of which consist of large transparencies illustrat- 

 ing American forest conditions. These walls 

 will be double and illuminated by interior elec- 

 tric lights. The pictures range in size from 3 

 by 5 feet to 4 by 6 feet. There will be two 

 transparencies 6 by 10 feet, portraying groves 

 of red fir and California big trees, two of the 

 most impressive American trees. A point will 

 be made of the relation of forestry to agricul- 

 ture, and such subjects as protective forests, the 

 use of trees in preserving water supply, the 

 management of woodlands, etc., are fully illus- 

 trated. The extent of the timber resources of 

 the United States will be shown by pictures 

 from all important lumber regions. The dis- 

 tribution of forests will be shown by maps. 

 Twenty of the most important American woods 

 will be represented by sections of trees. 



Mk. Wm. Dutchee. writes in the Auk that 

 Commission houses in New York City, in their 

 endeavor to obtain bird skins for millinery pur- 

 poses, send out many circulars offering varying 

 scales of prices for bird skins. Recently a 

 postal card was sent by one of these firms to 

 postmasters along the Gulf coast soliciting 

 Gulls, Terns, Grebes, Barn Owls, etc. Dr. T. 

 S. Palmer, of Washington, brought this matter 

 to the attention of the Hon. Jas. Wilson, Sec- 

 retary of Agriculture, who at once sent a very 

 urgent letter to Hon. Chas. Emory Smith, Post- 

 master General, calling his attention to this di- 

 rect violation of the law, and a letter has been 

 sent to postmasters warning them against be- 

 ing parties to any transactions that violate the 

 State laws. 



The automobile contests which will take 

 place at Paris during the exposition period are 

 exciting much interest. The speed contests 

 will take place in July. In the contest between 



carriages there will be nine cash prizes, aggre- 

 gating 30,000 francs. The first prize will be 

 8000 francs ; the second prize, COOO francs. In 

 the contest between small carriages there will 

 be seven prizes, aggregating 9000 francs, the 

 first prize being 4000 francs. In the contest be- 

 tween motocycles there_. will be thirteen cash 

 prizes, aggregating 8000 francs, the first prize 

 being 2000 francs and the second prize 1500 

 francs. The contest between light-weight auto- 

 mobiles will take place in September. The 

 program will include a contest of automobile 

 cabs and delivery wagons capable of carrying 

 loads of 1200 kilograms in weight. United 

 States Commissioner General Peck has taken 

 great interest in these automobile contests and 

 will offer every facility for American visitors 

 who desire to witness them. 



One of the innovations in military transpor- 

 tation, says the Electrical World, which was 

 brought about and developed largely through 

 our war with Spain is the use of the automo- 

 bile. The signal corps of the American army 

 has recently been supplied with electric auto- 

 mobile wagons for use in the Philippines. 

 These wagons are of two kinds, one to carry 

 the instruments and material and the other to 

 carry the personnel. The first is built like a 

 covered ambulance, with rubber-tired wheels, 

 and contains a storage battery capable of run- 

 ning the vehicle for thirty hours on one charge 

 wlien carrying 1500 pounds of load. There 

 are two 3j-H.-P. motors, one in each rear 

 wheel. The maximum speed is about ten miles 

 an hour. The other wagon is constructed like 

 a high cart and is in other respects similar to 

 the first. Both wagons are fitted with electric 

 side lights, and the first also has electric lights 

 in the interior. Other military applications of 

 the automobile have been considered by the 

 military world, but this is the first actual intro- 

 duction. 



At a recent meeting of the Sanitary Institu- 

 tion, London, the annual report of the council 

 was presented, stating that the question of ad- 

 ditional premises for enlarging Ihe museum and 

 extending the work of the institute had received 

 the careful consideration of the council, and 

 although the leases of the present premises had 



