. 
NOTES. 703 
unceasing and continuous demands of his business rendered it im- 
possible for him to carry on an uninterrupted line of investigation. 
Above all things he abhorred the hasty publishing of novelties. 
In this respect he was perhaps hypercritical. 
Nothing could be too complete for him, and to this demand on 
his part for as near approach to absolute perfection as possible, 
the country is indebted for the exquisite work presented by the 
Bank Note Company of which he was chief executive officer. 
His power to detect merit was noteworthy, and many a young 
man can look back to Mr. Gavit for the incentive first given him 
to work, and to thank him too for placing the standard to be at- 
tained high above that level aimed at by most workers. While 
his science came in as arelief from his business duties, one was 
surprised to hear him converse freely on such diverse subjects as 
architecture and deep sea explorations, fertilization of flowers, 
geology, and the whole range of biological science. 
To hear him was not to listen to what any intelligent man might 
know regarding such topics, but it was to gather the latest views 
and to hear something new. In fact one could never talk with 
him without seeing old facts placed in a new light and new facts 
Mr. Gavit was best known as a microscopist, his collection of 
stands, objectives, and other apparatus being one of the finest in 
the country.—E. S. Morse. 
Ir will be remembered that Capt. Hall went as far north as 82° 
16. This has been exceeded by two Austrian explorers, Payer 
and Weyprecht, who penetrated into the frozen sea north of Si- 
beria and discovered two hundred nautical miles north of Nova 
Zembla a mountainous country with glaciers and some vegetation 
and game, which they named Francis-Joseph Land. This was 
about one thousand miles in length so far as observed, and the 
northernmost point reached was Cape Vienna in latitude 83°. 
A LOBSTER farm, as we learn from “N ature,” has been established 
near Boston. On the seaward side it is closed by banks, having 
hatches or sluices so as to admit of the flow and ebb of the tide. 
Last summer about 40,000 lobsters of all sizes were deposited in 
_ this ground. In the winter 15,000 fine lobsters were sold. We 
should be glad to hear of the further success of this important 
undertaking. 
