SCIENCE-GOSSTP. 



or absence of rocks, groynes, jetties, and such ob- 

 stacles to the free sweep of the tide. As these 

 conditions are ahvaj's altering with the season and 

 the weather, what has proved a rich collecting- 

 ground at one visit may be quite bare at another. 

 Still, in every locality there is a focus towards 

 which the drift tends. When this has once been 

 found, as it may be by careful scrutiny of the shore 

 at low tide, the collector can always rely upon 

 finding his material within a short distance, in one 

 or other direction. 



A sandy beach in the neighbourhood of a sub- 

 merged reef of rocks forms the best collecting 

 ground, especially when the sea in the neighbour- 

 hood is shallow and the bottom muddy. When 

 the water immediately off shore is deep the shore 

 gatherings will, as a rule, be poor, although dredg- 

 ings made off the coast may contain abundant 

 foraminifera. Where the beach consists of shingle 

 it is, of course, useless to look among the pebbles 

 for foraminifera, but in such cases there is fre- 

 quently a lower beach of sand or mud exposed at 

 low water, that may be profitably examined. Ac 

 Bognor, in Sussex, for instance, the lower beach 

 abounds in foraminiferous material, derived, no 

 doubt, from the extensive ledge of submerged 

 rocks lying off the coast. 



A suitable locality having been found, the col- 

 lection of the material is quite a simple matter. 

 The apparatus required consists of an old spoon, 

 a glass slip 3in. by lin., or other convenient size, 

 and a piece of zinc or tin with three sides turned 

 up, the fourth side being sharp. The spoon is 

 used for scraping material from the bottom of the 

 ripple marks or rock pools, the glass slip and 

 metal tray for gathering it from patches or heaps, 

 the slip being used as a scraper to brush the sand 

 into the tray, which thus forms a miniature dust- 

 pan. Care must be taken to remove only the sur- 

 face layer, as this alone contains foraminifera. The 

 material as gathered should be emptied into a 

 calico bag, through which the bulk of the water 

 will drain, or if preferred, a tin can be employed. 

 On reaching home the material should be 

 thoroughly dried by a very moderate heat, or ex- 

 posure to the sun and air, and it may then be put 

 aside in bottles or boxes until such time as it is 

 convenient to undertake the second stage, the 

 cleaning of the material, and the separation of the 

 foraminifera from the accompanying debris. 



(Xo be continued.} 



Institution of Electrical Engineers. — The 

 Institution of Electrical Engineers has arranged for 

 its members to professionally visit Switzerland in 

 September next, where inspection will be made of the 

 many important electrical works and installations in 

 that country. Among the more important of the 

 latter are the railways, tramways, and electric 

 lighting stations, in the neighbourhood of Zurich. 

 The annual conversaziorie of the institution will be 

 held at the Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, 

 on the evening of the 15th of June. 



B 



'J'lIK .\i;W .MUSEUMS. 



TTER MAJESTY THE QUEEN is to be con- 

 gratulated upon living to see the approaching 

 consummation of Prince Albert's enlightened plan for 

 Science and Art teaching in this country. In laying 

 the foundation stone of the new museums at .South 

 Kensington on the 17th of May, it may be said the 

 last official act of the Queen has been performed in 

 this connection ; as it is scarcely to be expected that 

 Her Majesty will attend the final opening ceremony. 

 It is to be hoped that her representative may then be 

 the Prince of Wales, who hasalwaysexhibitedsuchkeen 

 interest in the educational institutions of his country. 



When the whole scheme is complete it will form an 

 association of buildings devoted to Science and Art, 

 which may be described as magnificent. It will 

 include on the eastern side of Exhibition Road, the 

 exteasive galleries, courts, libraries, and other depart- 

 ments devoted to Art. On the south of the western 

 side is the beautiful Natural History Museum, for 

 which Owen so long contended, so excellently 

 arranged by Sir William Flower, and now in the 

 hands of his able successor. Dr. Ray Lankester. At 

 the rear of this building and facing Imperial 

 Institute Road is to be erected the Royal 

 College of Science, on a scale hardly less 

 extensive than its opposite neighbour, the Imperial 

 Institute. It is to be hoped that this latter building, 

 hitherto so far from a success in its original intention, 

 may be pressed into the educational group ; as the 

 headquarters of the London University. Beyond the 

 Imperial Institute is the Royal College of Music, the 

 City and Guilds of London Institute for Technical 

 Education, and lastly the Albert Hall, to the extreme 

 north. Towards the object of completing the South 

 Kensington Buildings, Parliament, in the Session of 

 last year, voted in a sum of ;^2, 500,000 for various 

 public buildings, no less an amount than .^800,000. 

 ^500,000 of this will probably be used on the Art 

 side, and the remaining ^^300,000 on the Science 

 buildings. This is most satisfactory, for if we consider 

 the latter sum to be taken on account, which will 

 probably be the case, we trust that science in London 

 may in the fulness of time, be able to hold up her 

 head with regard to the accommodation for her 

 housing, with the best of cities abroad. This 

 unfortunately at present is far from being the fact, 

 although in latter years we have made such excellent 

 strides in England, not only in science teaching : but 

 also indiscoveries resulting from scientific investigation. 

 The onl)' discordant matter in connection with the 

 South Kensington Science and Art scheme, appears 

 to us to be the unfortunately long, not to say unwieldy- 

 title that has been chosen by the powers that be for 

 this group of buildings. We refer to the association 

 of the names of Victoria and Albert in the title. One 

 would not for a moment desire to minimise the 

 interest and influence that have been brought to bear 

 by the Queen and her lamented Consort, in promoting 

 the Science and Art Building at South Kensington ; 

 but a time will come when a shorter title will be needed. 



