254 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



Lady Prestwich has given to the British 

 Museum the collection of fossils made by her 

 husband, the late Sir Joseph Prestwich. 



Dr E. H. Du Bois Raymond, Professor of 

 Physiology in the University of Berlin, died on 

 December 26th, at the age of seventy-eight. 



The St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences have 

 elected Lord Kelvin and Professor Simon Xewcomb 

 honorary members. Lord Rayleigh has been 

 elected a corresponding member. 



Alfred Nobel, the well-known Swedish engineer 

 and chemist, who died on December 6th at San 

 Remo, has left his entire fortune, amounting to 

 about /2, 000, 000, to the Stockholm University. 



Measurements of the heights and velocities of 

 clouds are being made at the Blue Hill Meteoro- 

 logical Observatory, Mass., U.S.A., by Professor 

 Rotch, as part of an international scheme for such 

 work. 



Prof. J. E. Duerdex, Curator of the Museum 

 of the Institute of Jamaica, has recently published 

 an article which gives new data concerning the 

 results of the introduction of the mongoose to that 

 island. 



We hear that for some time past two pairs of 

 kingfishers have taken up their abode by the 

 ornamental waters of Battersea Park, in London, 

 and seem as though they intend to become 

 citizens of the great Metropolis. 



A correspondent writes that in November last 

 he observed some tomtits attacking his bees, tap- 

 ping at the hive entrance, and when a bee came 

 out seizing and carrying it off. As many as a 

 dozen birds were observed at work at one time. 



Sir William Macgregor discovered a new 

 bird-of-paradise during his recent journey across 

 British New Guinea. Mr. Sclater will exhibit an 

 example of this bird, which has lately arrived in 

 England, at the British Ornithologists' Club. 



A fishing-smack, " Early Blossom," is stated to 

 have brought into Low-estoft, on January nth, a 

 very large octopus. It was taken in the trawl-net 

 near the Leman Sands, in the North Sea. It is 

 said to have measured eleven feet in length, and 

 weighed about five hundredweight. 



Mr. Horatio Hale, of Canada, the well-known 

 anthropologist, died on December 29th. He was 

 vice-president of the Anthropological Section of 

 the American Association for the Advancement 

 of Science in 18S6, and has done much to advance 

 the study of this important subject. 



A magnificent display of aurora borealis was 

 observed at Kirkwall on January 2nd. It com- 

 menced shortly after twilight faded, and lasted for 

 several hours. The "waves" of light took two 

 forms, one being as long streamers from the horizon 

 to zenith ; across these there rolled scroll-like 

 waves from west to east. The whole effect was 

 the finest that has been seen in our northern 

 islands for many years. 



The German Government have voted a supply 

 of 50,000 marks to the Ministry of Public Instruc- 

 tion, for investigations with the Rontgen rays. 

 The object of the grant is to enable institutes and 

 certain men of science to procure the necessary 

 apparatus and to defray the expense of experi- 

 ments. 



A CORRESPONDENT Writes that a fine specimen of 

 the golden eagle was shot on a farm near Driffield, 

 in December last. It was only " winged" at first, 

 and a severe struggle took place. It w-as, at last, 

 captured alive, but we regret to say the capturer 

 killed it the following day. The wings measured 

 5 feet 6 inches from tip to tip. 



We learn from the " Entomologists' Record " that 

 at a recent meeting of the Committee of the Ento- 

 mological Society of London for the Protection 

 of Lepidoptera, it was resolved to invite the co- 

 operation of local societies throughout the United 

 Kingdom, and to ask them to furnish information 

 as to proceedings likely to cause the extermination 

 of local species of lepidoptera. Communications 

 will be received by the Hon. Secretary, Mr. Chas. G. 

 Barrett, 39, Linden Grove, Nunhead, S.E. 



M. M. G. Renaud states that the reason carrier- 

 pigeons are rarely entirely white is because on 

 their journeys those of a conspicuous colour are 

 naturally selected by birds of prey, and thus the 

 stock gradually disappears. To common pigeons 

 this does not apply, as they rarely stray far from 

 habitations, and are not so frequently struck by 

 hawks. It is noticeable how much can be done by 

 selection in the breeding of pigeons. For instance, 

 French and Belgian breeders will train their birds 

 for generations to fly from east to w-est. In 

 England, where there is much fog, the breeders 

 onh- keep birds that can fly through a misty 

 atmosphere. 



We have received a circular from the Geological 

 Photographs Committee of the British Association, 

 which was founded in 1889 for the purpose of 

 arranging the "collection, preservation and syste- 

 matic registration of photographs of geological 

 interest in the United Kingdom." The Committee 

 urge geologists and photographers to assist in 

 forming this collection. Since the formation of 

 the Committee about 1,408 photographs have been 

 received and deposited at the Museum of Practical 

 Geology, 28, Jermyn Street, S.W. Information 

 with regard to the best means of taking such 

 photographs, and rules for the sending of them, 

 may be obtained from the Secretary of the Com- 

 mittee, Mr. W. W. Watts, 28, Jermyn Street. 



The Tenth Annual Report of the Liverpool 

 Marine Biology Committee for 1896, by Prof. 

 W. A. Herdman, D.Sc, F.R.S., contains a short 

 account of the series of experiments in sea-fish 

 hatching undertaken at the Port Erin Biological 

 Station last Easter on behalf of the Lancashire 

 Sea Fisheries Committee. Though conducted on a 

 small scale, for the w-ant of space and plant, they 

 were very satisfactory, the eggs of the grey gurnard 

 [Trigla gurnadus), the lemon-sole [Pleuronectes viicro- 

 cephalus) and the witch {Pleuronedes cynoslossus) being 

 successfully fertilized and kept until they hatched 

 out as young larvae. It is proposed, with additional 

 tanks and an improved circulation of v.-ater, to 

 carry the experiments still further this year. Lists 

 and particulars of various additions to the local 

 marine fauna and flora discovered during dredging 

 expeditions are also given. 



