NEWS. 
In our January issue we announced the death of Dr. Vincenzo 
Diamare of the Institute of Comparative Anatomy of the University 
of Naples. We are unable now to trace the source of our informa- 
tion, but Dr. Diamare writes us that he is alive and well, and desires 
to live on. We wish Dr. Diamare a long and useful life and beg that 
he will forget our unfortunate error. 
A botanical club has been organized in Washington with Professor 
Edward L. Greene as president and Charles L. Pollard as secretary. 
The list of officers and councillors elected for the present year by 
the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences is remarkable for the 
few names known to science. 
The borings in the coral reef at Funafuti have been discontinued 
at a depth of 1114 feet. The drill was then in what is called “coral 
reef ” rock, but as yet no studies have been made to ascertain whether 
it be of recent or extinct forms. 
A movement is being inaugurated to increase the endowment of 
the University of Cambridge. $2,500,000 is desired, and two persons 
have already pledged $100,000. 
The British Association meets in Dover this year. 
There was an earthquake in Mexico, January 24, lasting three 
minutes. ‘Three hundred houses were damaged and ten were com- 
pletely destroyed. 
At the R. I. College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (Kingston), 
the special course of instruction in poultry culture for 1899 began on 
January 9, to continue four weeks. Nearly forty applications for 
enrollment for the course were received, but owing to limited accom- 
modations the class has been kept down to about twenty in number. 
Several who could not take this course have enrolled their names for 
the next in 1900. 
Bulletin of the Cooper Ornithological Club is the title of a new 
bi-monthly bird journal, published in Santa Clara, Cal., under the 
editorship of Chester Barlow. The sphere of the journal will be 
/ 355 
