os pag ` ‘The American Naturalist. [February, 
The Geological Survey of Alabama.—The Legislature four 
years ago reduced the tax rate, unwisely, as now appears, for it has 
caused the money in the treasury to run now about $200,000 short of 
what is needed to carry on the affairs of the State. When the present 
Legislature met and was confronted with this deficiency in the treas- 
ury, the first thought was to reduce the expenses of the State within 
the present income by retrenching in every direction. Accordingly a 
number of bills were introduced aiming to cut off everything that we 
could possibly do without. Among these bills was one prohibiting the 
payment of any money to the survey for the next two years, saving 
$15,000 on this item. Many of the members both of the House and 
of the Senate were disposed to support this wholesale retrenchment if 
by it the raising of the tax rate could be avoided; for the raising of 
the rate would be an unpopular measure as a matter of course, and 
would be made the most of by the enemies of the party in power. 
Upon closer examination it has become perfectly evident to every one - 
that the tax rate must be raised, for all the retrenchment proposed and 
in any way possible will fall far short of remedying the trouble. But 
some of the members are afraid to vote for raising the rate without, as- 
an offset, voting to cut down every expense in the State to its minimum. — 
While it is not likely that the extreme measures at first proposed will 
pass, there may have to be some compromise that will cut off part of 
the sum usually coming to the survey. There is no one fighting the 
survey, for the sentiment is very favorable to us, but they may haveto 
show that they have economized.— EUGENE A. SMITH. 
Recent Deaths.—John Obadiah Westwood, M. A., F. L. S., hon- 
orary president of the British Entomological Society, died January Lsa 
Prof. Westwood was born in Sheffield in 1805. He was educated at 
Litchfield and was appointed in 1861 to the professorship of zoology 
founded at Oxford by the munificence of the late Rev. F. W. Hope. — 
In 1855 the Royal Society awarded bim one of the royal medals 
for his scientific works, and in 1860 he was elected to fill the place 
of the illustrious Humboldt as corresponding member of the Ento- 
mological Society at Paris. He wrote “Introduction to the Modern 
lassification of Insects,” “ Entomologists’ Text Book,” published in ef 
.1838 ; “British Butterflies and Their Transformations” in 1841, and 
a number of other works of a similar nature. The number of his” 
memoirs on special groups of insects is large, and he introduced many — 
important forms to the scientific record. 2 
Prof. J.G. Joessel, of the University of Strasburg, is dead. He was 
3 born April 27, 1839, and was ordinary professor of anatomy. 
