JUNB 22, 1900. ] 



SCIENCE. 



965 



everything in the best possible manner, 

 carefully studying the best models in this 

 country and Europe and attempting to ad- 

 vance upon anything that has been done 

 hitherto. Thus the Park, although far from 

 complete, in many respects marks a great 

 step forward in zoological park develop- 

 ment. Most of the animals enjoy an ex- 

 ceptional amount of freedom. The ranges 

 in the smaller installations are numerous 

 and as a rule the animals are in a splendid 

 state of health. There have been relatively 

 few losses. The rate of growth of the ani- 

 mals especially in the Reptile House and 

 the Bear Dens and in the interior Flying 

 Cage for Birds is rapid and there is every 

 reason to believe that most of these animals 

 are in a perfectly normal state. 



Naturally the more purely scientific work 

 in the Society must be deferred. The field 

 of publication has hardly been entered upon . 

 The admirable ' Guide ' which was prepared 

 by the Director is proving very popular and 

 has met with large sales. Illustrated bul- 

 letins describing the development of the 

 Park have appeared only at rare intervals 

 but it is hoped to make them more regular 

 next winter. Considerable progress has 

 already been made in photography and 

 many of the photographs of living animals 

 are not only beautiful but possess consider- 

 able scientific value as presenting perfect 

 representations of pure types of North 

 American and exotic animals, seen to best 

 advantage in their natural surroundings. 

 Henry F. Osboen. 



SIGMA XI, AT THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION 

 FOB TBE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 

 During the last meeting of the American 

 Association for the Advancement of Sci- 

 ence, at Columbus, Ohio, the convention 

 of Sigma Xi was held with a very large at- 

 tendance, and it was decided to have a re- 

 union of such members of the Society as 

 might attend the meetings of the American 



Association at New York. It is planned, 

 therefore, to hold a meeting at which all 

 members of Sigma Xi are cordially invited 

 to be present some evening during the meet- 

 ing of the Association in New York. The 

 date and hour of the meeting will be an- 

 nounced by posters and in the daily pro- 

 gram. 



The rapid rise of this Society in Ameri- 

 can universities is signified by the large 

 number of young men prominent among 

 the ofiicers and participants in the various 

 sections of the American Association. It 

 was started in 1886, at Cornell University, 

 by a few graduate students in engineering. 

 At first the intention was to make it a 

 purely engineering society, but soon after 

 its organization the scope of the Society 

 was broadened, so as to take in all the 

 most promising men in the Senior classes 

 giving special attention to any of the 

 branches of science. In its extension to 

 other institutions, it has become the repre- 

 sentative honor-society for the ablest stu- 

 dents of science in the institutions where it 

 is established. 



According to the constitution the object 

 of the Society is to ' encourage original in- 

 vestigation in science, pure and applied.' 

 In the report of the Committee on Extension, 

 made at the convention of 1895, the follow- 

 ing words [express the purpose of the So- 

 ciety: " In establishing a new chapter * * * 

 in each case we should make sure that we 

 entrust the power of distributing the honor 

 of membership only to such persons and 

 institutions as are capable of giving the 

 education and training necessary to the 

 carrying on of scientific investigation ; * * * 

 we should also be well assured of the 

 hearty co-operation of the scientific faculty 

 in the establishment of the local chapter." 



At present there are ten chapters con- 

 nected with the following institutions, and 

 the eleventh has already been voted, al- 

 though not yet established : 



