Septembek 18, 1885.] 



SCIENCE. 



259 



iques sur pliisieurs corps gras, et particulierment sur 

 leurs combiuasions avec les alcalis," which extended 

 for many years. In 1824 he was appointed professor 

 of chemistry at the famed factory of Gobelins; and 

 the energy and untiring industry which was one char- 

 acteristic of his work, soon accumulated stores of 

 knowledge based on experiment. To exact experi- 

 ment he attached the highest importance. He wrote 

 in 1823, "Experiment is not chemistry, facts alone do 

 not constitute that science ; but we cannot have dis- 

 coveries without exact experiment." His'Recher- 

 ches sur la teinture ' is an elaborate work ; and his 

 'Moyende definer et nommer les couleurs' occupies 

 the whole of vol. xxxiii. of the Memoires of the Insti- 

 tut. It has often been remarked, that it is difficult to 

 believe that the Chevreul of ' corps gras ' fame, and 

 the Chevreul who wrote on colors, are one and the 

 same man. 



— Science et Nature announces the following scien- 

 tific missions : The naturalist Frederic Bordas is in 

 charge of a zoological expedition to the islands of 

 Mascareignes, Seychelles, and Comores. Clermont- 

 Ganneau has undertaken an epigraphical expedition 

 to the islands of the gulf of Akaba, in the Red Sea. 

 Jacques de Morgan, civil and mining engineer, has 

 gone to study the geology and mineralogy of the Free 

 Orange States, — Transvaal, Zululand, and Natal. 

 Lieut. Palat is exploring the route from Senegal to 

 Algeria by way of Medina, Timbuctoo, Mabrook, 

 Touat, and Gourara. Benjamin Balansa has charge 

 of a scientific mission to Tonkin, and Jules Borelli is 

 directing an expedition of the same kind at Choa. 

 The intrepid explorer, Serpa Pinto, to whom the So- 

 ciete de geographic granted the gold medal five years 

 ago, is dangerously ill at Hibo, Africa. 



— The present year is one of the most successful 

 that the Annisquam summer school of zoology has 

 ever seen. Fifteen students have been at work at the 

 tables, all, with one exception, studying the develop- 

 ment and anatomy of marine types, and making col- 

 lections for teaching purposes. The number of states 

 represented is much greater than in any previous year, 

 showing that the reputation of the laboratory is fast 

 spreading. There are students from Massachusetts, 

 Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, North Caro- 

 lina, Tennessee, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan. 

 The laboratory is under the direction of Mr. B. H. 

 Yan Yleck, who is himself studying the development 

 of the dog-fish. 



— King Oscar II. of Sweden has announced that he 

 will award a prize, on the 21st of January, 1889, the 

 sixtieth anniversary of his birthday, for an important 

 discovery in the field of higher mathematical analysis. 

 The prize will consist of a gold medal having a value 

 of a thousand francs, together with a sum of two 

 thousand five hundred crowns (somewhat less than 

 seven hundred dollars). The commission appointed 

 by the king to determine the conditions of the com- 

 petition and to judge the papers presented consists 

 of Weierstrass of Berlin, Hermite of Paris, and Mit- 

 tag-Leffler of Stockholm. They have designated four 

 subjects for competition, the first relating to the 

 motion of a system of particles attracting one an- 



other according to Newton's law, the second to a cer- 

 tain class of uniform functions of two variables 

 analogous to hyperelliptic functions, the third to func- 

 tions defined by differential equations of a certain 

 type, and the fourth to Poincare's Fuchsian functions. 

 In case none of the memoirs presented on the four 

 subjects named should be deemed worthy of the 

 prize, it may be awarded to a memoir (sent in for 

 competition) containing a complete solution of some 

 other important problem in mechanics or the theory 

 of functions. The exact particulars are set out in a 

 circular letter issued by Professor Mittag-Lefiier. 



— Circular No. 20 of the division of eutomology 

 of the department of agriculture relates to the re- 

 cently-established branch of economic ornithology, 

 and consists of a statement of the subject to be in- 

 vestigated; namely, the inter-relation of birds and 

 agriculture, and a series of questions calling for 

 information respecting the food-habits of various 

 species of birds, the nature and extent of their 

 depredations, the reason of occurrence of the species, 

 the number of broods raised in a season, the increase 

 or decrease of particular species, etc. The circular, 

 and also directions for the collection of birds' stom- 

 achs, will be furnished to all those willing to aid in 

 the work, on application to Dr. C. Hart Merriam, 

 ornithological agent, whose address will be Sing- 

 Sing, N.Y., till Oct. 1; after this date, U.S. depart- 

 ment of agriculture, Washington, D.C. 



— The latest from Bering Strait brings news of the 

 whaling fleet to July 12. At that date a hundred 

 and ten whales had been taken by seven steamers 

 and twenty-six barks. Three vessels were reported 

 ' clean,' the remainder having from one to nine 

 whales. The usual percentage of disasters are re- 

 ported. Bark Napoleon, Capt. Smith, was crushed 

 and foundered in lat. 58°, W. long. 177°, about the 

 middle of Bering Sea, on the 5th of May. Her 

 crew took to the boats; and, after a heavy gale four 

 days later, two of these boats were rescued, several 

 men having died of exposure, and the remainder 

 missing, making a total loss of twenty officers and 

 men. Bark Gazelle was stove by a pointed tongue 

 of ice June 3, twenty-five miles south-east from the 

 south-west cape of St. Lawrence Island. The dam- 

 age was done so quietly that the first intimation had 

 of it was the report of the mate that the hold was 

 full of water. Three hours later she sank; the boats 

 reached the island or other whalers in safety, and 

 were kindly cared for by Capts. Marvin, McGregor 

 and Hayes of the Arnolda, Abram Barker, and Ham- 

 ilton. The steamer Balaena was badly stove, but 

 was subsequently repaired by the master, and con- 

 tinued her voyage, which bids fair to be a good one, 

 as she was reported with eight whales. The catch is 

 unusually good for the time of the year to which we 

 have reports, and an equal average to Oct. 1 will 

 make a very prosperous season. Whalebone to the 

 value of $150,000 was brought down by the schooner 

 Garfield, mail-carrier and tender to the fleet. Some 

 of the vessels got into the Arctic by the east shore be- 

 fore the whales did, and got nothing; while the ves- 

 sels south of the strait were killing. On June 10 



