2l6 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



The Colony of Victoria has created a National 

 Park for the preservation of its native fauna, by 

 reserving Wilson's Promontory for the purpose. 



The Presidential Address delivered by Mr. John 

 M. Coulter before the Botanical Society of America 

 forms interesting reading. It is devoted to "The 

 Origin of Gymnosperms and the Seed Habit." 



A popular botanical magazine, entitled " The 

 Asa Gray Bulletin," is being issued fortnightly by 

 the editor, Gilbert H. Hicks, U.S. Department of 

 Agriculture, Washington, U.S.A. It has already 

 reached vol. vi. and is illustrated. 



We understand arrangements are in progress, 

 under the direction of Sir Howard Grubb, at the 

 Rathmines Astronomical Works, Dublin, for a 

 reflecting telescope, some ten feet in diameter, for 

 the Paris Exhibition of 1900. 



"The Photogram" for November has a beauti- 

 fully illustrated article showing the uses of photo- 

 graphy in the study of economic entomology. The 

 examples are taken from various " Bulletins" of 

 the Cornell University Agricultural Station, at 

 Ithaca, U.S.A. 



One is so accustomed to think of Linnasus as 

 having belonged to a far bygone period that it is 

 with some surprise we notice the death of his 

 grandson, which took place last month in Paris, 

 where he was the much-respected pastor of the 

 French Lutheran Church. 



The " Report and Transactions of the South- 

 Eastern Union of Scientific Societies," for 189S, 

 has been received. It contains the papers read 

 at Croydon Congress, with some illustrations. 

 Abstracts from several of the papers have already 

 appeared in these pages. 



Breslauer and Meyer, of Leipziger Str., 134, 

 Berlin, have sent their beautifully produced and 

 illustrated catalogue of scarce and valuable books 

 of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. They chiefly 

 apply to the science of archaeology and ancient 

 religious writings. 



The " Quarterly Journal of the Astronomical 

 Society of Wales " is to hand, but beyond a list of 

 its members and some references to the November 

 meteors, there appears to be little which has not 

 appeared elsewhere. This number completes the 

 first volume. 



A movement is on foot in Switzerland for the 

 better enforcement of laws protecting wild birds. 

 These regulations have fallen into abeyance in 

 some cantons, though in others their beneficial 

 results are notable by the abundance of bird-life 

 where the feathered denizens were formerly scarce. 



By the death of the Rev. Thomas Nettleship 

 Staley, D.D., formerly Anglican Bishop of Hono- 

 lulu, there last month passed away one who took, 

 while resident in the Hawaiian Islands, great 

 interest in their geology. He lectured on the 

 subject, before the Royal Geographical Society, 

 under the presidency of Sir Roderick Murchison. 



Mr. Henry Ffennell's protest against the 

 proposed dissolution of the Buckland Fish Museum 

 at South Kensington, is loyal to his late friend, 

 Frank Buckland, and energetic. Considering, 

 however, its small scientific value, the space 

 occupied by the Fish Museum could be well 

 otherwise utilized. 



The Nottingham Natural Science Rambling 

 Club concluded their tenth season on November 

 5th last by a conversazione which was numerously 

 attended. The report read by Mr. W. Beckerton, 

 the hon. secretary, was of a favourable character, 

 there having been numerous excursions and 

 lectures. 



Professor Vivian Lewis has entered upon an 

 important series of Lectures at the Society of Arts 

 upon "Acetylene Gas." The first took place on 

 November 21st, and was largely attended by those 

 interested in the new industry. The lecture was 

 illustrated by a number of experiments of an enter- 

 taining character. 



Mr. Henry Stone has been exploring the region 

 around Great Slave Lake in North-West Canada. 

 He specially went to investigate the mineral 

 resources of the district, and is said to have found 

 gold, mineral oil and natural gas in abundance. 

 One place produced a quantity of that most 

 beautiful mineral, peacock coal, which in the 

 bright sunshine glistened like a fairy scene. 



We are glad to hear that " Natural Science " is 

 to be continued. We understand its editorial 

 department passes from London to Edinburgh, 

 though the publishing office will remain here, but 

 be transferred to the vicinity of St. Bartholomew's 

 Hospital. The other journal to which we referred 

 last month as likely to cease publication was 

 " Science Progress." It is now announced that 

 the last number completed its issue. 



At the meeting of the Geological Society at 

 Burlington House on November gth, Mr. Bauer- 

 man exhibited some specimens of iron ore from 

 arctic Lapland. The ore is now largely exported 

 to European iron-foundries. It was mentioned as 

 ah interesting geological fact that where the masses 

 of ore outcrop in the marshes of that country, the 

 western surfaces of the rock are smoothly polished 

 by the fine particles of dust brought by the preva- 

 lent westerly Atlantic winds. 



The island of Anticosti, to which some exagger- 

 ated political importance has latterly been attached 

 on account of its purchase by an eminent French 

 commercial magnate, is an interesting hunting- 

 ground for naturalists. At. one time it was pro- 

 posed to make irt a reservation for the disappearing 

 wild animals of Eastern Canada, but nothing came 

 of the project. Probably someone remembered 

 they could walk over to the mainland when the 

 St. Lawrence was frozen in winter time, or the 

 Labrador Indians could come over and hunt 

 them. 



The "Proceedings of the South London Ento- 

 mological and Natural History Society." Part i., 

 189S, is to hand. It contains several useful papers. 

 One by Mr. J. W. Tutt, F.E.S., on "The Lasio- 

 campides," is illustrated by two genealogical trees, 

 to show the origin of these moths. Another useful 

 paper is by Mr. Edward Saunders, F.L.S., F.E.S., 

 on "Collecting British Hemiptera." Mr. South, 

 F.E.S., read a paper on "The British Species of 

 Lepidoptera occurring in Japan," and Mr. A. H. 

 Jones, F.E.S., another on " Some South European 

 Butterflies." 



