SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 



3" 



We have to express our thanks to Mr. Harold 

 M. Head for having- undertaken in this volume 

 the honorary departmental editing of the subject 

 of Chemistry. Mr. Read now retires in con- 

 sequence of his professional work fully occupy- 

 ing his time. We are pleased to announce that 

 Mr. C. Ainsworth Mitchell, B.A. (Oxon.), F.T.C., 

 F.C.S., Member of Council, Soc. of Public Analysts, 

 has kindly undertaken the duties of Honorary 

 Departmental Editor for this section, and will 

 commence his duties with the April number. 



Captain Abney's invention of an apparatus for 

 measuring the luminosity of colours will probably 

 have an important effect on the progress of photo- 

 graphy in colours. The result is attained by rotat- 

 ing discs. 



The theory, founded upon researches on the 

 ocean floor during the "Challenger" expedition, 

 that chalk is absent in great depths has been dis- 

 turbed through the discovery by the Prince of 

 Monaco of calcareous mud at soundings of 600 to 

 3,000 fathoms, or 18,000 feet below the surface. 



Arrangements are being made for creating 

 another National Park in North America. The 

 district chosen is of great anthropological interest, 

 being the region of New Mexico so rich in Com- 

 munal dwellings and their remains. One of these 

 groups is said to contain no less than fifteen 

 hundred rooms. 



We would draw attention to the greatly im- 

 proved tone of the '•Entomologist's Record." The 

 two last numbers are most interesting to those who 

 study entomology. The January number contains 

 a masterly summary by various writers on the 

 entomological work of the past century. It is 

 notable that the science of entomology has been 

 raised from one sirbject to sneers, to a place among 

 the most scientific of studies. 



The Provisional International Committee ap- 

 pointed at the Conference held in London in June, 

 1900, to undertake the preliminary work of publish- 

 ing a complete catalogue of all the scientific 

 literature of the world has recently issued its 

 report. It is proposed that the annual cost of a 

 set of seventeen volumes shall be £17. Several 

 countries have already subscribed for sets on this 

 basis. The United States of America takes sixty- 

 eight copies. 



M. Adolimii-; Ciiatin, the well-known French 

 botanist, died on January 13th at Essarts-le-Roi, 

 near Rambouillet. His contributions to science 

 have been of great value in helping to revive the 

 study of plant anatomy, which now occupies an 

 important position as a factor in the evolution 

 of a natural system of plant classification. M. 

 Chatin did not. however, confine himself to the 

 study of botany. He published papers on the 

 results of some important investigations, espe- 

 cially on the occurrence of iodine in air and 

 water. 



Haslemere has been selected for the next 

 annual congress of the South -Eastern Union of 

 [Scientific Societies, which will take place in the 

 fibrsl week in June. 



Professor P. (!. Tait, author of "Th( Dd eei 



Universe" and one of the founders of the meteoric- 

 hypothesis in astronomy, has been for sometime pasl 

 engaged on a biography of his friend Lord Kelvin. 

 Prol'osor Tait is retiring from the Chair of Natural 

 Philosophy in Edinburgh University, so will have 

 greater leisure for extending his general scientific 

 work and conducting his literary labours. 



LEPIDOPTEROLOGY is the poorer by the loss 

 through death, after a long and painful illness, of 

 Herbert Williams of Southend-on-Sea. He was a 

 painstaking investigator, and successful in rearing 

 British butterflies through all their stages. At one 

 period he was honorary secretary to the South 

 London Entomological Society. Mr. Williams 

 was only 32 years of age when he died, on 

 January 5th. 



We have received a copy of the " Natural Science 

 Gazette " or Journal of the Streatham Science So- 

 ciety. It is a remarkable literary production, 

 edited by Mr. Fred. G. Palmer, being all in that 

 gentleman's handwriting. The cover is illustrated 

 also by his pen. The amount of work necessary to 

 produce each number must be indeed great, and 

 shows much enthusiasm on the part of the Society 

 and its editor. 



The last meeting of the Entomological Club 

 was held on January 15th at the Holborn 

 Restaurant, Mr. G. H. Verrall being in the chair. 

 Mr. Verrall, who was then President of the Ento- 

 mological Society of London, afterwards enter- 

 tained some sixty or so of the leading ento- 

 mologists of this country at supper. These 

 charming meetings, when at Mr. Verrall's invita- 

 tion, are too well known to describe ; but it 

 ought to be stated that they are among the most 

 valuable and pleasant factors that at present exist 

 for encouraging entomology. 



The eminent European entomologist, Baron 

 Michel Edmond de Selys-Longchamps. was born 

 May 25th, 1813, in Paris, and died in December 

 last, at his son's house at Liege, where he was 

 visiting. His literary productions were consider- 

 able, a list of over 250 articles having been printed. 

 His chief work was among the neuroptera and 

 orthoptera, though other subjects relating to birds, 

 mammals, fishes, and reptiles were also considered, 

 as well as scientific agriculture. He was an hono- 

 rary member of many of the societies devoted to 

 natural science throughout the continent of 

 Eurepe. 



American women are becoming recognised as 

 workers at the biological laboratories of Europe 

 and the United States of America. In the latter 

 country a society of considerable importance exists 

 for maintaining women at the zoological stations 

 of Naples and Woods Hall, also for encouraging 

 ladies to conduct scientific research. The associa- 

 tion offers a prize of $1,000 or over £200 for the 

 best thesis presented by a woman on a scientific 

 subject, embodying the results of her independent 

 laboratory research, in any branch of biological, 

 chemical, or physical science. It must be in the 

 hands of the secretary before December Hist. 1902, 

 who is Florence M. Cashing, 8 Walnut Street, 

 Boston. Ma-^. 



