282 



SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 



Dr. ELLIOTT Cones, the eminent ornithologist 

 of North America, died whilst under a cardiac 

 operation at Baltimore on December 25th. lie was 

 born in New Hampshire fifty-seven years before. 

 After a college training he entered the United States 

 Army Medical Service. Later he became respectively 

 Professor of Zoology, Anatomy, and Biology in 

 various colleges. As an ornithologist he had a world - 

 « ide reputation. He was natural science editor of 

 the "Century Dictionary," his work therein being in 

 itself monumental. 



It is with some surprise we note several newspapers 

 have supported the opinion that the year 1900 is the 

 first of the series of the twentieth century. We have 

 also had several letters asking our opinion. Perhaps 

 our correspondents favouring the idea would be satis- 

 fied to receive ^99 in full settlement of a ^100 ac- 

 count. Again, supposing a person born a fraction 

 after midnight on the first day of the Christian era 

 were to have lived over a century, the second 

 century could not have commenced until the end of 

 the year 100 or a fraction of time in the year 101. 

 We are still in the 19th century, and many things 

 may yet happen before its conclusion. 



At the Crystal Palace, where some little work in 

 pisciculture has been going on for some months, a 

 new society has been formed with the title of The 

 Society of Experimental Fish Culture. The sub- 

 scription of one guinea is to include a season ticket to 

 the Palace, so pleasure can be combined with the 

 duties that the members have taken upon them- 

 selves. These include the formation of an economic 

 museum which shall be worthy of the name, the ex- 

 perimental rearing of fresh-water fish, and the 

 attempt to further those fishing interests which do 

 not receive adequate official attention in this country. 

 All the tanks, ponds, and the hatchery at Sydenham 

 will be at the disposal of the members. It is to be 

 sincerely hoped that the right men will be found to 

 come forward to do the work, and that there will be 

 more such support given to the society as will enable 

 anything that is attempted to be done really well. 



A movement is being energetically pushed for- 

 ward by Mrs. Farquharson, of Houghton, Netherton, 

 Meigle, to induce those scientific and learned 

 societies which still close their membership against 

 the admission of women to elect them. We really 

 do not see that there can be any objection to the ad- 

 mission of fully qualified and earnest female workers, 

 many of whom are quite as able as men to conduct 

 scientific investigation. The ballot-box should be 

 enough to exclude the "shrieking sisterhood," or 

 others than those who are known to be doing serious 

 and successful work. Indeed it might have the 

 effect of raising the quality of the future male fellow- 

 ship of some of the Chartered Societies, which have 

 latterly been accused of increasing their annual sub- 

 scription revenue without a sufficient investigation of 

 the qualifications of candidates elected. 



The course of lectures on " The Wonders of 

 Creation," which were delivered by Mr. Cecil 

 Carus-Wilson, under the auspices of the Parents' 

 National Educational Union, at the Horbury Rooms, 

 Notting Hill Gate, before Christmas, were attended 

 by over 400 boys and girls, chiefly from the private 

 schools in the neighbourhood. Owing to the suc- 

 cess of these lectures, and a wish expressed by the 

 majority of the ticket-holders, four more lectures 

 have been arranged, commencing February 1st. A 

 similar series will also be held at the Conservatoire, 

 Ilampstead, starting on February 5th. 



Since the commencement of the New Series, it 

 has been the policy of SciENCE-Gossir to strictly 

 avoid any reference to subjects that might give pain 

 to readers possessing religious convictions of what- 

 ever faith. We cannot, however, help regretting the 

 unfortunate disputes between Dr. St. George Mivart 

 and his Church, which have culminated in his virtual 

 expulsion, as announced by Cardinal Vaughan. With 

 all its strength, there is still one thing stronger, and 

 that is freedom of human thought at the end of the 

 nineteenth century ; so treasured is it indeed that its 

 ablest sons will be lost to any Church that attempts 

 to fetter scientific and enlightened progress. 



A good deal of nonsense has been written since 

 the commencement of the Boer war with regard to 

 the power of ordinary binocular field glasses. It is 

 claimed that some supplied to the Boer army magnify 

 up to twenty diameters. We learn from Messrs. 

 Ross, of New Bond Street, London, that the limit of 

 magnification which can be used with advantage in 

 binocular field glasses does not exceed ten times. 

 We learn also that Messrs. Ross are supplying the 

 British Government, for army purposes, with tele- 

 scopes which have undergone severe tests at the Kew 

 Observatory, and been found to magnify up to forty 

 diameters. 



Very patriotic are the names that have been 

 given to some of the fine orchids that have recently 

 been exhibited at the shows of the Royal Horti- 

 cultural Society. Chamberlainia triumphans, given 

 to a truly fine plant, was the first, and at a more 

 recent meeting there were two hybrid claimants for 

 the title Lord Roberts. One gained a certificate, 

 and hence was thought to have most right to an 

 honourable varietal name, but the other, though a 

 Cypripediitm also, if not of the same species, may 

 assume it as well. 



Dr. J. W. Gregory, of the Geological Depart- 

 ment of the Natural History Museum, who has been 

 elected to the chair of Geology at Melbourne, leaves 

 England in February. He is one of those quiet but 

 exceedingly brilliant men that we ought to keep for 

 our own use, but for whom we cannot afford to pay 

 apparently. Many readers will recall the expedition 

 to Africa which Dr. Gregory took up country by 

 himself when the party to which he was attached as 

 naturalist broke up. 



We regret to have to record the death of Mr. 

 John Ruskin. Though better known for his artistic 

 writings, philosophical science owes him a debt of 

 gratitude for the manner in which he has made 

 interesting what might otherwise have been dry 

 study. 



We have received the first number of a new 

 magazine entitled " The International Monthly." It 

 is published by Messrs. Macmillan & Co., of New 

 York and London, and contains articles by writers 

 from New York, Paris, Harvard, and London. Con- 

 tributions are promised from Berlin, Leipzig, < )xford, 

 and many other universities, on history, psychology, 

 sociology, comparative religion, biology, geology, 

 etc. The editor is Frederick A. Richardson, of 

 Vermont. 



A correspondent asks if we can tell him the 

 best way to clean a brainstone-coral and a star- 

 coral that are a little discoloured with dust. The 

 specimens were bought twenty years since in London, 

 when the dealer told him they could be cleaned by 

 boiling in sulphuric acid, which would, of course, 

 dissolve them. Any information would oblige our 

 correspondent. 



