SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 





The question of the preservation of the stones 

 at Stonehenge has been placed in the hands of 

 the Charities and Records Committee, to whom the 

 subject of ancient monuments has been referred. 



Mr. Fred Pullar, who in conjunction with 

 Sir John Murray recently published an extensive 

 survey of the depths of many Scottish freshwater 

 lochs, died at the end of February while rescuing 

 a young lady who had fallen through the ice on 

 Airthrey Loch. 



It has been decided to erect a marble bust of 

 Dr. Gerhard Armauer Hansen, the discoverer of 

 the bacillus of leprosy, in the Lungegard Hospital, 

 Bergen, on the occasion of his sixtieth birthday in 

 July next. The place chosen is the institution 

 where he discovered the bacillus. 



We have received from the University Corre- 

 spondence College Press a copy of the Matricula- 

 tion Directory for 1901. It is a useful guide to 

 those intending to enter for the examination in 

 June or later, as it not only gives a list of text- 

 books, but also clearly indicates the style of ques- 

 tions and answers required. 



The well-known botanist Dr. J. C. Agardh, of 

 Lund, sometimes called the Nestor of European 

 botanists, died on January 17th at the age of 

 eighty-seven. He was chiefly known for his work 

 in marine algae, and had been for some years a 

 correspondent of the Section of Botany at the Paris 

 Academy of Sciences. 



We have already referred to " Man," the new 

 monthly magazine issued under the auspices of the 

 Anthropological Institute. The first three numbers 

 are now before us, but considering that each con- 

 tains only sixteen pages of literary matter with one 

 plate, the charge to the public of a shilling per 

 number is decidedly high compared with other 

 magazines. 



Mr. Harry F. Witherby, who has lately made 

 an expedition to the White Nile in search of birds, 

 is commencing in " Knowledge " a series of illus- 

 trated articles descriptive of the country, its 

 people, its wild animals, and its birds. In the 

 first instalment the author deals with his journey 

 by river and the Desert Railway from Cairo to 

 Khartoum. 



We have received from Mr. Charles Morley, 

 Museum Press, Lockwood, Huddersfield, twelve 

 sheets of Nature notes for the months of the year. 

 They are sold at one shilling the set. Opposite 

 each date the compiler of these sheets place-. 

 some Nature note. For instance, January 4th : 

 "Redbreast whistles." January 16th: '-House 

 sparrows chirp." February 5th : " Don't dig under 

 chestnuts." February 10th: "Jackdaws frequent 

 church steeples" (presumably because it was a 

 Sunday this year). May 10th : " Cockchafer flies," 

 a habit we have also observed on their appearance 

 in certain human beings. 



His M.uksty THE Kim: Ii;i- signified to the 

 President and .Council of the .Marine Biological 

 Association his pleasure in becoming the Patron 

 of the Associal ion. 



We have received "Proceedings of the Twenty- 

 first Annual .Meeting of the Society for Promotion 

 of Agricultural Science," held at St. Louis. U.S.A., 

 when Mr. William Trelease reviewed the advanl i 

 of public Botanic Gardens, working in conjunction 

 with school plots in rural districts, Eor educational 

 purposes. It appears that much has already been 

 done in this direction. 



Dr. Hugh Robert Mill, F.R.S.E., lectured be- 

 fore the Royal Meteorological Society at its last 

 meeting upon climate and the effects of climate. 

 He specially drew attention to the difference be- 

 tween weather and climate, and exhibited a number 

 of lantern slides showing the effect of climate in 

 creating land forms. 



Messrs. Alexander and Martin Heyne, sons 

 of the well-known Leipsic naturalist, Ernst Heyne, 

 have opened rooms at 110 Strand, London. W.C., as 

 an agency for the supply of natural history speci- 

 mens, apparatus, and museum accessories. We 

 understand they have a large stock of insects, 

 especially of Palaearctic butterflies. It will be 

 remembered that the former gentleman was con- 

 nected with the authorship of Ruhr's book on this 

 subject, and other works. 



Following the plan adopted by the Cornell 

 University, which issues " Nature Study Leaflets." 

 the Agricultural Education Committee, of 10 Queen 

 Anne's Gate, London, is now publishing a series of 

 Teacher's Leaflets entitled "Nature-Knowledge." 

 They are edited for the Committee by Mr. Wilfred 

 Mark Webb, F.L.S., and are intended for distribu- 

 tion in schools, especially in rural districts. They 

 are illustrated, and will doubtless appeal to the 

 scholars as well as to the teachers. Four of these 

 have already been published ; No. 2, " Lilies from 

 Leaves," being the most interesting. 



Messrs. N. Annandale and H. C.Robinson, Hon. 

 Research Assistant in the Zoological Department 

 of University College, Liverpool, are about to 

 leave England for a year's residence in the Malay 

 Peninsula. They intend to reside in the neigh- 

 bourhoods of Patani and Biseret. with the object of 

 making collections in all branches of natural 

 history. Especial attention will be paid to records 

 of pre-Malayan tribes of Negrito origin. On the 

 outward voyage Mr. Robinson proposes to study 

 the plankton of the Red Sea and Indian Ocean 

 by pumping sea water through tine silk nets. 



The preparations for the British Antarctic Ex- 

 pedition are now practically completed. The 

 vessel, named the " Discovery." has been launched 

 in Dundee and is to be equipped in London. The 

 ship has been built on whaler lines, but with con- 

 siderably greater strength than is usual, to with- 

 stand ice pressure. The expedition will have in 

 July or August, arriving in Melbourne in Novem- 

 ber. Commander R. F. Scott, R.N., is naval officer 

 in charge ; the scientific department being under 

 the direction of Professor On-gory, of Melbourne 

 University, assisted by Mr. Hodgson as biologist, 

 and Mr. Schakleton as physicist. Those of our 

 readers who are interested in Antarctic expeditions 



will find on p. 341 of this cumber of Science- 

 Gossip a rc\iew of the book by M. Borchgrevink on 



the enterprise linanccd by Sir George Newnes. 



