I'ertioiKil (iiul Sciciit ijic Xcir.s. 208 
PERSONAL AND SCIENTIFIC NEWS, 
Mr. W. D. Matthew, of C'Oliimbia College, has been a])- 
pointed assistant in vertebrate paleontology in the American 
Museum of Natural History. 
Prof. John Milne, the well known seismologist, is about to 
return to England. P^'or several years he has been connected 
with the Royal University at Tokio, Japan. 
Prof. J. F. Kemp has conducted the geological work of this 
year's Summer School of Columbia College at Central City, 
CJolorado. In August and September he will be engaged in 
field studies in the Adirondacks. During Prof. A. J. Moses' 
absence the coming year Prof. Kemp will act as managing ed- 
itor of the School of Mines Quarterly. 
Prof. Valentine Ball, director of the Museum of Scieiu-e 
and Art of Dublin, died on June 17th, at the age of 52 years. 
He was elected a fellow of the Geological Society of London 
in 1874, fellow of the Royal Society in 1882, president of the 
Roj'-al Geological Society of Ireland in 1882, and was professor 
of geology and mineralogy in the University of Dublin from 
1881 to 1883. 
Mr. F. W. Sardeson, formerly instructor in paleontology in 
the University of Minnesota, has this summer taken the degree 
of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Freiburg. His 
first work in Freiburg was the reexamination of the Dogger of 
the Upper Rhine valley, which has proved a perplexing puzzle 
for some years. By the discovery of a few new localities for 
fossils he was able to establish the following succession, in as- 
cending order : 1. Murchisonie-Schichten ; 2. Sowerbyi-Schich- 
ten; 8. Blaue Kalke ; -l. Giganteus-Thone ; .5. Humphriesi- 
Schichten ; 6. Coronatus-Schichten ; 7. Subfurcatus-Schich- 
ten ; 8. Hauptrogenstein. (Mitt. d. Grossh. Badischen Geol. 
Landes., Bd. Ill, Heft. 2, S. 109-117, Taf. 2, 189.5.) 
The United States Geological Survey. Science for July 
19th, gives an extended abstract of the report of director Wal- 
cott for the month of May, 1895. He remarks on the early 
commencement of field work this season as comparetl with 
former years, with the prospect of a longer season and nu)r(' 
abundant results. The topographic i)arties nearly all took 
the field during May, as did also a numl)er of geologic i)arties. 
Such toj)ographers and geologists as were detained in Wash- 
ington beyontl the close of the month have since taken tlie 
field from time to time, as the exigencies of the work already 
in hand permitted. This early commencement of the field 
work of the Survey is attributable in the main to the action 
