'Personal and Scientific JVews. 
1))' the Leonard Scott Publication Co., of Philadelphia, 
and Kingsley still hold the position of leading editors, am 
<lepartment editors remain as last year. 
The " scientific " thief axd swindler was dete 
lately at Franklin, Ind., by Prof. D. A. Owen, through the 
of the description published in the January Geologist. Pr 
Owen confronted him in his private room with the descriptic 
in his hand. He was not known to have stolen anything, bu 
he, left the town on the first express train. He was moving 
imder the name of Otto L. Zyrski, as a deaf and mute Russian 
savant. 
Frank Springer, now traveling in Europe, has recently 
procured a large lot of crinoids from the Carboniferous of 
England and the Eifel of Germany. The lot will afford valu- 
able material for comparison with American forms, and will be 
«o used in the preparation of the forthcoming monograph by 
Wachsmuth and Springer. 
Mr. Charles Keyes,a recent graduate of the State 
University of Iowa, is doing splendid work in preparing 
the drawings for Wachsmuth and Springer's new monograph 
•of the Pala^ocrinoidea. Mr. Keyes devoted much attention to 
geology and palaeontology during his undergraduate course. 
His graduating thesis is an elaborate treatise on the geology 
and paleontology of Polk county, Iowa. It is a thick, royal 
octavo, manuscript volume, illustrated by a number of plates 
giving sections, profiles and numerous figures of fossils. 
The Iowa Association for Scientific Research was 
organized on 37th December, 1S87, at Des Moines. The offi- 
■cers of the Association are, president, Prof. Herbert Osborn, 
Ames; first vice-Pres. Prof. J. E. Todd, Tabor; second vice- 
Pres. Prof. T. H. McBride, Iowa City; secretary-treasurer. 
Prof. R. E. Call, Des Moines. The following papers were 
read by members: 
Bv Prof. J. E. Todd, of Tabor College— i. "The origin of the extra- 
morainic till." 2. " Terraces of the Missouri." 3. "Decorative colora- 
tion in animals." 
By Prof. B. D. Halstead, Iowa Agricultural College — 4. "Artificial 
propagation of pollen of certain grapes." 
Bj Prof. F. M. Witter, of Muscatine— 5. "Shell hunting and shells 
in Decatur county, Io\va, and Lyon count\', Kansas." 
By Prof. Launcelot W. Andrews, State University — 6. " On a new 
astatic galvanometer with a spiral needle." 7. " On the volumetric de- 
termination of lead, barium and sulphuric acid." 
By Prof. H. W. Parker, of Grinnell College— 8. "Animal intelligence." 
By Prof. R. Ellsworth Call, of Des Moines— 9. "Some forms of the 
Ozarks." 10. " Notes on the anatomy of Campeloma." 11. "On a new 
fossil from the Post-Pleiocene of California." 
We wish the new association abundant success. 
