22 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



Professor Michael Foster, M.B., D.C.L., 

 D.Sc, LL.D., F.R.S., will be nominated by the 

 Committee of the British Association at the 

 Bristol Meeting in August next, for the presidency 

 in 1899, when Dover will be visited. 



The Borough of Southport has entered on the 

 enlightened course of establishing an important 

 meteorological station for investigation of the 

 climatic conditions of the district. There is 

 already a similar station at Eastbourne. 



The Cluster 13 Messier, in the constellation 

 Hercules, R.A. i6h. 38m., Dec. N., 36 39', which 

 on a good night can be seen sparkling with even a 

 3-inch telescope, is said to contain 723 stars, as 

 counted on a photograph. 



Messrs. W. Brendon and Son, of Plymouth, 

 have published " Data-forms for Egg Collectors " ; 

 they are arranged for name, collector, locality, 

 date, remarks, etc. Bound in books of one hun- 

 dred forms they are sold for is. 3d. each, post free. 



The annual report for 1897 °f tne Scarborough 

 Philosophical and Archaeological Society, with 

 which is associated the local field naturalists' and 

 photographic societies, shows a promising awaken- 

 ing of interest in the neighbourhood in subjects 

 scientific. 



The Yukon goldfields are stated by Mr. William 

 Ogilvie, of the Survey Department of Canada, 

 to extend over more than 125,000 square miles of 

 country. , A system of thawing the frost-bound 

 ground in winter by the aid of electricity has been 

 invented. 



Within a year, the Dublin Royal Zoological 

 Society has lost by death two of its past-presidents. 

 First, as already recorded, was that of Dr. Houghton, 

 and on April 29th, there died Dr. Samuel Gordon, 

 his successor, a physician of high standing in the 

 Irish capital, and a former President of the Royal 

 College of Physicians. 



The " Report and Transactions of the Guernsey 

 Society of Natural Science and Local Research for 

 1897 " is to hand. It contains the President's 

 address and various papers of more than local 

 importance. One is especially so, on " The Plants 

 of Sark," by Mr. G. T. Derrick, and another on 

 " The Insects of Alderney," as is also that of Mr. 

 E. D. Marquand, on " The Fungi of Guernsey." 



Any special feature of the year at the first of the 

 Royal Society's conversaziones, which took place 

 on May 12th, could hardly be pointed out. Pro- 

 fessor Oliver Lodge exhibited some experiments in 

 space telegraphy. Mr. Campbell Swinton showed 

 pinhole photography for Rontgen rays, Mr. Joseph 

 Goold's experiments in relation to resonance were 

 among those of physical interest ; whilst Professor 

 Poulton's Canadian insects in relation to European 

 insects, Dr. Hans Gadow and Mr. W. F. Blandford's 

 models of composition of the vertebras in various 

 Vertebrata ; healthy and unhealthy oysters shown 

 by Professors Herdman and Boyce, appealed to 

 those interested in zoology. 



We have received a reprint of a paper by Mr. 

 Thomas Sheppard, of Hull, upon the Hessle Chalk 

 Quarries. It is popularly written in view of induc- 

 ing people to take an interest in the quarries. 



The fine exhibition of photographic art and its 

 accessories still being held at the Crystal Palace, 

 is an object-lesson in its development. When 

 we remember that the science has only been in 

 existence for about half-a-century, its progress is 

 indeed wonderful. 



Paris has lost by the death of the Marquis de 

 Cherville, at the age of 77 years, a writer on 

 country-lore, of high ability and charming style. 

 His weekly letters in the Paris "Temps " on rural 

 life will be much missed. At one time the Marquis 

 was a literary assistant to the elder Dumas. 



We understand that Messrs. Jackson and Gurney, 

 of Paternoster Row, are re-issuing the late William 

 S. Dallas' work on " Elements of Entomology,' 

 which was originally published at 8s. 6d. The 

 new issue should be a useful accessory within the 

 reach of young naturalists, as its price is to be 

 only 2s. 6d. 



The total income of the Zoological Society of 

 London for the year 1897 was ^28,713, and the 

 expenditure ^25,329, exclusive of ^2,375 spent 

 during the year on new buildings. The number 

 of Fellows was 3,158. The visitors to the Gardens 

 reached, in 1897, tne total of 717,755. The 

 number of animals on exhibition on December 31st 

 was 2,585, viz : 792 mammals, 1,362 birds, and 431 

 reptiles and batrachians. 



The Vestry of Shoreditch, in London, has shown 

 an enlightened policy in the application of science 

 to the destruction of " dust " refuse collected in 

 the district. The heat generated in their dust 

 destructor with the consumption of less than a ton 

 of coal per day, has supplied all the electric power 

 for lighting the parish. During the nine months 

 of operation, 491,107 units had been generated, 

 which in addition to lighting the streets left a 

 profit of /i,70o from private lighting. The 

 interest on the capital outlay is six and a-half per 

 cent, towards the reduction of the rates. 



An immense stride has been taken during the 

 past month in physical research, by Professor 

 Dewar, through the liquefaction of hydrogen gas 

 in appreciable quantities. In fact, this attain- 

 ment, for it is hardly a discovery, when we 

 remember how many other gases have been 

 liquefied, will lead to further progress in research. 

 The boiling point of liquid hydrogen is at about 

 240 degrees below zero centigrade, a point so 

 intensely cold that atmospheric air becomes solid. 

 Professor Dewar's system makes the production 

 of the liquid form of this gas comparatively 

 inexpensive. 



Among the Queen's birthday honours we are- 

 pleased to note that Dr. John Murray, F.R.S., is 

 to be a Knight Commander of the Bath, Civil 

 Division. He was born in 1S41, at Coburg, 

 Ontario, his father being an accountant. Dr. 

 Murray was one of the naturalists on board the 

 "Challenger" from 1872 to 1876. Later he was first 

 assistant of the staff for publication of the scien- 

 tific results of the voyage, and then editor of the 

 " Challenger Memoirs." Dr. Murray was also 

 attached to the "Triton" and "Knight Errant" 

 explorations. He is a specialist on marine deposits,, 

 a F.R.S., LL.D., D.Sc. and Ph.D. 



