the twentieth dynasty still intact in his coffin, and who, according to Brugsch, preceded Ramses II. by three centuries) are more varied. Among them are some composed, like those of Ramses II., of the leaves of Mimusops and the sepals and petals of the two species of Nymphæa; while others are formed of the leaves of Salix safsaf, Forsk., which serve as clasps for the little balls of flowers of Acacia Nilotica, Del., portions of the heads of flowers of Carthamus tinctorius, L., or the separate petals of Alcea ficifolia, Cav. Nobody could recognise either the Salix or the Alcea among the hundred Egyptian species of plants enumerated by Pliny, or in the writings of other ancient authors; whereas the Acacia and the Carthamus occur under the names of Acanthos and Cnius. Concerning the former, Pliny (lib. xiii. p. 19) mentions the employment of its wood in boat-building, the use of its gum, of its pods in tanning; he speaks of the spines, even, which are found on the leaves; in short he indicates the distinctive feature of the species, adding that the flowers are effective in wreaths. Several of the old authors treat of this tree. With regard to the Cnicus or Knekos (Pliny, xxi. p. 53) it is only recognisable by the indication that it is spiny, that its large white seeds yield an oil, and that there are in Egypt both wild and cultivated species, which is true. The flowers of Carthamus found in the wreaths of Amenhotep I. have retained their red colour, and resemble those of the species cultivated everywhere in Egypt at the present day. The colour, as in recent herbarium specimens, has changed from cadmium red to a brownish red or orange. In water the colouring matter is rapidly excreted, and we behold these flowers of some thirty to thirty-five centuries ago intensely colouring the liquid in the phial containing them.1 All four of the plants which I have just mentioned have now for the first time been actually found in an ancient Egyptian tomb. The leaves of Salix safsaf, which form the greater part of the wreaths of Amenhotep I. and Aahmes I., do not differ in the least from those of the present day, and the species is common in Egypt. They are young-that is to say small and pale-thus indicating an early season of the year. In this respect they are in contradiction with the blue and white petals of Nymphæa found in the same coffin, though not, it should be stated, in the same wreaths as the Salix, but in the wreaths with leaves of Mimusops. The latter very closely resemble those found on the mummy of Ramses II. Perhaps at the time of the removal of the kings of the eighteenth and nineteenth dynasties from one vault to another, and finally to the place of concealment at Deir-el-Bahari, when a new coffin was made for Ramses II.-perhaps, I say, they renewed a part of the wreaths of the other kings, or having ascertained the condition of the mummies (whether under the twentieth or under the twenty-first dynasty), they added some new wreaths to the original ones. This would explain the presence in the same coffin of flowers belonging to different seasons of the year. Salix safsaf, which occurs in a wild state on the banks of the Nile in Nubia, is in Egypt proper only a riverine fugitive, like many other plants, whose real home is in the south. Away from the river it only exists on sufferance, chiefly near wells and canals. To my mind it is an example of the wild flora which agriculture has caused to disappear. Alcea ficifolia, Cav., is now found in Egypt only in the ancient Arabian gardens of Cairo and other towns--that is to say, in gardens dating before the introduction of European horticulture by Barillet in 1869, where it grows almost wild as a weed. I have found it in a wild state in Syria and the Lebanon. Boissier, in his "Flora Orientalis," has not clearly defined it, and gives one or two other forms (A. lavater@folia) as distinct Unger ("Botanische Streifzüge," p. 113) mentions that a chemist named Thomson had proved that the red dye in the mummy bandages was derived from Carthamus. species, which they are not. The petals of the Alcea contained in the wreaths of Amenhotep I. leave no doubt that they belong to the species named. Their shape, the distribution of the veins, and especially the hairy callosity on the inner surface of the claw, as well as the size even, confirm the identity of the species. Moreover one perceives in the petals of the ancient wreaths traces of a purplish tint corresponding to the crimson of the living plant. The ancients probably esteemed this plant alike for its beauty and its medicinal properties. I have examined a head of flowers of Acacia Nilotica coming from one of the wreaths, and I found that the flowers agreed in the minutest details with fresh ones, with the characters of which I am sufficiently familiar. The pro ortions of the peduncle, the position of the annular bract, the shape of the bracteoles, the calyx, the petals, and stamens of each flower do not exhibit the slightest differences. This tree, which is planted or tolerated by man all over Egypt, is nowhere completely wild except on the White Nile between 11° and 12° N. lat., where it constitutes large riverine forests. The wreaths which were found in the coffin of Aahmes I., the great founder of the eighteenth dynasty (1700 B.C., according to Brugsch), are the most varied, and astonish the eyes with the bright colours they have retained. They are partly composed of leaves of the Egyptian willow (Salix safsaf), containing separate flowers of Delphinium orientale, Gay, of Sesbania Egyptiaca, Pers., petals of Alcea ficifolia, or flowerheads of Acacia Nilotica; and partly of the leaves of Mimusops, serving as clasps for the petals of the two species of Nymphæa, like the wreaths of Ramses II. and Amenhotep I. The Delphinium and the Sesbania had not hitherto been authenticated from ancient Egypt. The colours of their flowers are admirably preserved, the deep violet of the former being especially striking, but the specimens I have communicated to you in a phial of alcohol have lost their colour, just as fresh flowers of our time would. Delphinium orientale is now spread over a very wide area of the Mediterranean region. The two nearest localities to Egypt where it has been found are Algeria and Northern Syria, near Raldoun. It is not impossible that it still occurs in some parts of Egypt, while it is equally possible that it was cultivated by the ancient Egyptians as an ornamental plant. In the event of our being able to prove that some of the wreaths of Aahmes I. and Amenhotep I. were removed at the time of the twentieth dynasty, together with those of Ramses II., we should be justified in the assumption that this plant and Alcea ficifolia were introduced through the conquest of Syria. A minute analysis of the flowers, and comparison with those from various localities, leaves no doubt that they are of the species mentioned; and if I had had access to a larger number of flowers of the plant of the present period, I am certain that I should have been able to have exactly matched the ancient ones. The differences that I was able to detect between the ancient flowers and recent ones from Algeria, the Caucasus, Phrygia, and Lycia, kindly supplied by Mr. E. Boissier, may be set forth in a few words. In the first place there are two narrow linear bracteoles exceeding the peduncle in length, and reflexed; then the ovary is less pubescent, and the sepals are narrower and less acute. With regard to the bract, the thickened peduncle, the shape, number, and disposition of the stamens, the stigma, and especially the single petals, I have seen recent flowers in which these organs are absolutely identical. It will be seen that the characters in which they differ are only of individual value. Further, the species in question, commonly cultivated at the present time, comprises a considerable range of forms. Thus there are varieties in which the single petal is merely three-lobed, whilst in others the intermediate lobe is again divided. Both conditions occur in the ancient flowers. These flowers are so well preserved that under the influence of boiling water the spur of the posterior sepal is easily separated from that of the petal projecting into it. That is to say, the latter may be extracted without injury. The numerous details of the petal, its intricate venation, the coloured glands on the margins, the claw with two lateral folds-all correspond to recent specimens. The colour of the ancient flowers is rather a deep bluish violet than a reddish violet, as in the plint of our time. I have also carefully analysed the flowers of Sesbania Egyptiaca, from the wreaths of Aahmes I. They belong to the typical form of the shrub, which still springs up on the borders of cultivated fields and on roadsides in Egypt, though it is not really spontaneous below the Soudan. The flowers are so perfectly preserved that the minutest detail did not escape my scrutiny. Submitted to the action of boiling water they scarcely differed from flowers taken from my herbarium. One circumstance shows how hurriedly these funeral wreaths were made. The flower torn from its pedicel and pinched with the finger nails always retains only a part of the calyx cut through the middle. In the find at Deir el- Bahari other objects besides the wreaths were found for the first time. Thus in the coffin of the priest Nibsoni, of the twentieth dynasty, the leaves of Citrullus vulgaris were scattered between the body of the mummy and the sides of the coffin; and flowers of Nymphaa cærulea were found fixed beneath the outer bandages of the same mu nmy. The Egyptian Museum of Berlin already possessed seeds of this Citrullus in the collection of Passalacqua, though the epoch to which the collection belongs is unknown. Citrullus vulgaris is found wild in the greater part of Central Africa, and its fruit is smaller than that of the cultivated race, and less palatable, though otherwise like it. Among the broken remains in question I found one whole leaf, which enabled me to fully study its specific characters. Placed in cold water it recovered its original flexibility, so that it could be spread out flat and dried again. The chlorophyll was perfectly preserved, and what was curious, it was absorbed by the water to such a degree, that the glass of water in which the leaf and portions of leves were placed became of an intense green colour. The problem to solve was whether the leaves were those of the water-melon or those of the colocynth, a species spreid over the whole desert region, and only differing from the former, which has long hairs on the young fruit, by the complete nudity and spongy nature of its bitter fruit with a hard rind, and by the seeds. The leaves of the water-melon o'ten very closely resemble those of the colocynth, especially in the variety called Gjurma (Gyurma) in Egypt, which bears fruit no larger than that of the colocynth, though it is always s veet. Nevertheless the large leaves of elongated outline and having less numerous lobes, are rare in the colocynth, and only in places well watered by rains. There is an association of characters in the leaves from the mummy of Nibsoni, that enable one to refer them to varieties of the cultivated water-melon, rather than to the wild colocynth. I have compared them with a long series of specimens of the water-melon from all parts of the Nilotic region, and with a no less numerous series of specimens of the colocynth; and I have come to the conclusion that they may be regarded as belonging to the former species. The uses of the two species would render them equally admissible in a coffin of ancient Egypt. As a funeral offering an alimentary plant might serve as well as a medicinal one. Still the fact that there are seeds of the water-melon in the Berlin Museum from an ancient tomb supports my first supposition. The leaves found on Nibsoni are about a palm long, and of a pinnatisect form, with obtuse lobes. If these leaves were distinctly hairy there would be no doubt of their belonging to the water-melon. Yet, as already mentioned, there is a variety widely spread in 1 I have gathered it in that state in the islands of the White Nile. Egypt which has not the long and numerous hairs attached to the tubercles with which the leaves are covered, but merely short bristles, which is also the case in the colocynth. This variety of water melon, which I have named colocynthoides, is the Gyurma of the Egyptians, and is cultivated in dry neglected ground in Upper Egypt. It is probably the primitive condition of the species before it had reached its present state of perfection. The leaves of the Gyurma are sometimes hairy, as in the watermelon, sometimes only provided with short deciduous bristles, as in the colocynth. The leaves from the coffin of Nibsoni exhibit only the latter condition. It may be that they have lost a great part of these deciduous hairs during the long period that has elapsed. I found one character, however, that the Gyuria has in common with those in question. There are on the petiole, and especially on the under surface of the leaf in the middle, among the round tubercles with which it is beset, other tubercles or callosities of an elongated linear form and arranged in rows corresponding to the secondary veins. On these leaves, as well as on those of the Gyurma, these elongated tubercles are much more prominent than they are in the colocynth. Moreover the numerous specimens that I have compared of the last have all of them leaves more densely furnished with the round tubercles than is the case with those of the watermelon, of the Gyurma, and the ancient leaves. The secret vault of Deir el-Bahari, besides the coffins of so many illustrious kings, also contained numerous funeral offerings deposited there by the later kings of the twenty-first dynasty who used this collective tomb, so well concealed by the topographical conditions. Among these offerings I was able to recognise dates, raisins, and pomegranates. There was also a basket filled with a lichen (Parmelia furfuracea, Ach.) which at the present day is sold in the bazaar of drugs in every town of Egypt. It is now called "Chèba" (Sheba), and is used to leaven and flavour the Arabian bread. Medicinally, also, it is in great request. The presence of a lichen of solely Greek origin, mixed with the species named, and which also occurs in the modern drug, excludes all doubt as to its being a commercial product. Ramalina Graca, Muell., Arg., which was mixed with the Parmelia, has only been found in the islands of the Greek Archipelago, and the Arab merchants regard that country as the source of their drug. As there is no locality in Egypt where Parmelia furfuracea could grow, the only explanation of its presence in the offerings of the twenty-first dynasty (1000 B.C) is that it was derived from Abyssinia or Greece. In the latter case the find at Deir-el-Bahari would prove the existence of commercial intercourse with Greece at about the time of the Trojan war. Among the Parmelia (which was perhaps the Sphagnos of Pliny) were fragments of Usnea plicata, Hoffmg, and the straw of a grass (Gymnanthelis lonigera, Anders.) of Nubia, which at the present day is used by the natives as a remedy against affections of the chest and stomach. On searching through the copious remains of this plant I succeeded in finding a few well-preserved flower-spikes, which I carefully examined and determined beyond doubt to belong to the species mentioned. In Arabic it is called "máhareb." The odour even of this grass was preserved to a certain extent in the mixture of the offering. The fragrant secretion is of the same nature as that of the allied section Schenanthus of Andropogon of India. Besides the lichens and the grass, this offering contained the hairy buds of some Composita, probably an Artemisia, with pinnatisect leaves; tendrils of some Cucurbitacea; seeds of the coriander; and numerous berries and seeds of the eastern Juniper (Juniperus Phanecia). Inasmuch as we have here to do with plants coming from opposite regions of Africa and from Europe or Asia, it was 1 Dr. J. Mueller of Geneva not an easy matter to pronounce an opinion on the Cucurbitacea and the Composita mentioned. The coriander is a plant of early cultivation in Egypt, being mentioned by Pliny as one of the best products of the country. The berries and seeds of the juniper (the latter free in consequence of the decomposition of the former) could only have been derived from Syria or the Greek Islands. I carefully compared them with the allied species, including the Abyssinian Juniperus excelsa (which has larger berries and much thicker seeds, to the number of six), and there can be no doubt that they belong to 7. Phænicea, L. Kunth had previously determined this species in the collection of Passalacqua. Among the fragments of the offerings and repasts found scattered on the floor of the vault of Deir-el-Bahari when it was first inspected by Brugsch Bey (some of the objects had already been disturbed by Arab robbers) was a tuber of Cyperus esculentus, L., some specimens of which from ancient Egypt are also preserved in the Berlin Museum. It is common in a wild state, and generally cultivated in the country. In bringing this enumeration to a close I have only to mention the finding of a bundle of the grass called Halfa by the Egyptians (not the Halfa of Tripoli and Algeria), Septochloa bipinnata, Hochst., syn. Eragrostis cynosuroides, Retz. This bundle probably formed part of an offering representing the productions of the black and fertile soil of the valley of the Nile, of which this grass was a good sample. ON THE CHEMICAL CHARACTERS OF THE VENOM OF SERPENTS DRS. WEIR MITCHELL and E. T. Reichart, of Philadelphia, are now engaged in an inquiry into the chemical composition and characters of snake poison, which promises to yield important results and to supply information long wanted on an aspect of the subject which has made little progress since Prince Louis Lucien Bonaparte published his discovery of an active principle in viper venom, which he considered to be the sole cause of its toxic properties, and to which he gave the name of Echidnine or Viperine. He described the mode of separation of this principle in a paper read before the "Unione degli Scienziate Italiani" at Lucca in the year 1843. The investigations of Drs. W. Mitchell and Reichart relate chiefly to crotaline snake poison, but include a partial analysis of some dried cobra (colubrine) poison sent to them by Mr. V. Richards from India. Difference in the mode of action of the colubrine and viperine virus was pointed out by me many years ago in India, when I observed that viperine poison destroys the coagulability of the blood in animals, causes hæmorrhage, and has peculiar effects on the nervous system differing from the cobra's (colubrine) venom, which does not destroy the coagulability of the blood, nor cause so much hæmorrhage. Dr. Wall of the Bengal Medical Service has added much to our information on the subject, and has defined the different modes of action of the venom of the principal Indian poisonous snakes. The Philadelphia observers came to the conclusion that the venom of the crotaline snakes with which they have chiefly operated can be subjected to the action of the boiling temperature of water without completely losing its poisonous power. The toxicity of the venom, how ever, of the Crotalus adamanteus seems to be destroyed by a temperature below. 176° F. Mitchell some years ago showed that the venom of Crotalus durissus is not destroyed by boiling, and they remark on the curious fact that the venom of C. adamanteus should thus differ from the venom of other snakes. The symptoms caused by the venom of the different | snakes with which they have operated do not, they say, differ radically save in degree, but there are certain symptoms which they think make it probable that further investigation will enable them to point out certain differences by which it will be possible to discriminate one form of poisoning from the other. This is in accordance with what has already been done by observers in India, and notably by Dr. Wall. The investigations of Drs. Weir Mitchell and Reichart so far, lead them to conclude that the poison of the cobra is the most active, next the copperhead, then the moccasin, and lastly the rattlesnake; but their researches on this head are not yet complete. They are unable to confirm the statement of Gautier of Paris that an alkaloid resembling a ptomaine exists in cobra poison; or that of Prof. Wolcott Gibbs, that the poison of crotalus yields an alkaloid; but they have satisfied themselves that the venom contains three distinct proteid bodies, two of which are soluble in distilled water, one which is not soluble. These bodies have certain properties and reactions, which are detailed in their monograph on the subject. Hitherto observers have regarded the venom of different snakes as each representing a single poison, but it appears from these researches that, of the three proteids before mentioned, one is analogous to peptone and is a putrefacient poison, another is allied to globulin, and is a most fatal poison, probably attacking the respiratory centres and destroying the power of the blood to clot, while the third resembles albumen, and is probably innocuous. The separation of the two poisons necessi tates a long and elaborate series of researches, the results of which will be subsequently reported. They have also ascertained that the poison of the Rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus), Copperhead (Trigono cephalus contortrix), and Moccasin (Toxicophis piscivorus), are destroyed by bromine, iodine, hydrobromic acid (33 per cent.), sodium hydrate, and potassium permanganate. It is to be hoped that these important and valuable researches will be continued until the true chemical nature of these poisons be completely made known. NOTES J. FAYRER AT a meeting of the subscribers to the Balfour Memorial Fund, held at Cambridge on the 26th inst., it was stated that 8309/. had been promised, all except 100%. of which had been paid. Of this 80787. had been invested, yielding an annual income of 284/. 105., which it was hoped further subscriptions would raise to 300l. Among the regulations agreed to were the following:The income of the fund shall be applied (1) to endow a Student. ship the holder of which shall devote himself to original research in biology, especially animal morphology; (2) to further by ject. The Student shall not necessarily be a member of the occasional grants of money, original research in the same subUniversity, and during his tenure of the Studentship shall devote himself to original biological inquiry, and shall not systematically follow any business or profession or engage in any educational or other work which in the opinion of those charged with the administration of the fund would interfere with his original inquiries. The place and nature of the studies of the Student shall be subject to the approval of the managers provided that the Student shall be bound to pursue his studies within the University during at least three terms during his tenure of the Studentship, unless the managers shall, with the approval of the Board, dispense with this requirement for special reasons. The managers shall take such steps as they may think necessary to satisfy themselves as to the diligence and progress of the Student, and may require from him any reports or other information on the subject of his studies which they may think desirable. The Student hip shall be tenable for three years, but it may be continued over a second term of three years (but no longer) to the same person if the managers and Board decide that it would be clearly in the interests of biological research. The balance of the income of the fund, after providing for the Studentship and for any necessary expenses connected with the election, shall be devoted to the furtherance of original research in biology, especially animal morphology. Grants may be made for this purpose either to the holder of the Balfour Studentship or to any other person engaged in research. THE subscription list for the memorial bust of Prof. Henry Smith, to be placed in the University Museum, will be closed at the end of the present term. It would be convenient if subscribers would, as soon as possible, pay their subscriptions into the Old Bank, or send cheques to any of the following gentlemen :-Mr. W. Little, Queen Anne's Mansions, S. W.; Mr. R. L. Nettleship, Balliol College, Oxford; or Mr. E. Chapman, Frewen Hall, Oxford. DR. JULIUS VON HAAST has been created a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George. Two statues which have been erected in front of the Berlin University to the Brothers Alexander and Wilhelm von Humbcldt were unveiled on Monday with great ceremony. The Emperor and some of the members of the Imperial family witnessed the proceedings from the Royal Palace, which immediately faces the University, and the Emperor afterwards went on foot to inspect the statues. DR. GABRIEL GUSTAV VALENTIN, one of the most eminent professors of the University of Berne, and a distinguished physician, died at that city on May 24. Dr. Valentin was born at Breslau in 1810, graduated in 1832, and began practice in his native town in the following year. In 1835 he published a handbook of the history of evolution ("Entwicklungsgeschichte "), and in 1836 was appointed Professor of Physiology in the University of Berne, a position which he held until 1881, when ill health compelled him to resign. He stood very high in his profession, and was the author of many scientific works, two of which were written in Latin, "De phænomeno generali et fundamentali motus vibratorii continui" and "De functionibus nervorum cerebralium et nervi sympathici libri quatuor." He wrote also a "Text-Book of Physiology," a book entitled “Groundwork of Human Physiology," a "Repertory of Anatomy and Physiology," an "Examination of the Effects of Polarised Light on the Life of Plants," an elaborate work on the "Adaptation of the Spectroscope to Physiological and Medicinal Purposes," and several others which attest his vast knowledge and untiring industry. THE following remarks by our American contemporary, Science, on the subject of the Canadian meeting of the British Association in 1884, are deserving of attention :—“ It is to be observed that in the present year the meeting of the American Association, at Minneapolis, is early (August 17); while that of the British Association, at Southport, which is, besides, in the immediate vicinity of Liverpool, is unusually late (September 19). This will allow members of the American Association to attend both meetings, and it is stated that the retiring President of the American Association, and possibly others of its members, may avail themselves of this privilege. This may possibly permit arrangements to be made which might substantially unite the meetings of the two Associations in 1884, and so prepare for an international meeting in the future. If the meeting of the American Association for 1884 can be fixed for some northeastern city, sufficiently near to Montreal, and can be timed so as to occur a week before or after that of the British Association, there can be no doubt that a great number of the members of the latter body would take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy the companionship of their American confrères, while, on the other hand, many of these would gladly spend a few days at the meeting of the British Association. In this way it would seem that a greater benefit to science might result than even from an international meeting. There would be time for the complete transaction of the business of both Associations. Neither would suffer, either pecuniarily or in the value of its proceedings; and there would be the best possible opportunity for interchange of ideas between the scientific men of the United States, Great Britain, and Canada. Nor is it unlikely that some scientific workers from the continent of Europe and elsewhere may be attracted by a combination so unusual. It may thus be hoped that the proposed meeting of the British Association in Canada may not only be one of the most successful that this mother of Associations has held, but may inaugurate an epoch of renewed activity and progress in the widely-spread scientific work of the two great Associations of the English-speaking race." THE New Parkes Museum of Hygiene at 74a, Margaret Street, Regent Street, was opened on Saturday under favourable and distinguished auspices. The Duke of Albany presided and formally opened the Museum, and gave besides a sensible and thoughtful speech. "Hygiene," His Royal Highness said, "as we now understand it, is a branch of knowledge of modern growth. It is one of the natural results of the great advance of science which this century has witnessed, and might, I fancy, not inaptly be defined as the application of scientific principles to the varying conditions under which we are called upon to live. Thanks to the labours of many emirent men, we have now advanced some way towards an accurate knowledge of the con ditions which are necessary for health; and most of these con. ditions have long been familiar to the few. One object of the Parkes Museum will be to make them familiar to the many. luxuries and conveniences of modern life may become sources of We have learned, and are daily learning, that many of the danger to us if they be ignorantly used. London would be almost uninhabitable were it not for its wonderful system of sewers; but while enjoying the blessing of effective sewerage, we have had to encounter the difficulty of keeping the air of the sewers out of our dwellings. We all appreciate the brilliant light which is given by a gas lamp; but its wholesome use, we are now beginning to find, involves questions of ventilation parative dimness of a candle. Again, the open coal fire has which scarcely troubled those who were content with the comlong been regarded as one of the chief luxuries of the Briton, but the collected smoke of the fires of 4,000,000 of people has become a nuisance too grievous to be borne, and one for which a remedy must be sought. It is notorious that many of our public and private buildings in this country have been constructed without due attention, or, indeed, any attention, to those details which alone make a dwelling wholesome. The experiences of my own family in this matter have indeed been singularly hard. We hope that this museum will tend to hasten the end of this state of things, and that henceforward 'healthiness' will be considered as an essential condition of true architectural beauty. For the healthiness of our dwellings we have to depend, not only upon the master mind which furnishes the plan, but even to a greater extent upon the intelligent hands of those who are called upon to carry out the details. Unless the work of these latter be done with intelligence and faithful honesty, the schemes of the wisest architect avail us 1ttle. The instruction which has been and will be given here to the artisans who carry out the sanitary details of our houses must be productive of good results. At least, let us hope that some of the specimens of defective workmanship to be found upon our shelves will impress upon them that death., disease, and sorrow may be the results of ignorance or careles ness on their part." Among the other speakers were Sir Charles Dilke, Prof. Tyndall, and the Archbishop of York. It is to be hoped that the public, and especially those on whose skill and honesty our sanitary arrangements are dependent, will take ample advantage of the opportunities offered by the new museum. THE seventh Congress of Russian Naturalists and Physicians will be held this year at Odessa, from August 30 to Sept. 9. THE district of Pergamos in Asia Minor is now so infested with sparrows that application has been made to the Turkish Government for aid against them. It will be remembered that this district is subject to occasional invasions of rodents. THE Marine Excursion Com uittee of the Birmingham Natural History and Microscopical Society announce that, in response to a wish expressed by many members, they have arranged a second excursion to Oban and the West Highlands of Scotland, similar to that which proved so successful in the year 1881. The party will leave on Friday, June 29 next, to reach Oban about 5 p.m. on Saturday. The screw steam yacht Aerolite, of about sixty tons, has been hired of Messrs. Ross and Marshall of Greenock for a week, commencing Monday, July 2; facilities will thus be afforded for dredging excursions | ot only in the district previously worked, but also in distant localities. Arrangements are being made for excursions to several places of interest in the neighbourhood of Oban. THE sixth annual meeting and conversazione of the Midland Union of Natural History Societies will be held at Tamworth on June 12 next. Excursions have been arranged for that day and the 13th. The Darwin Gold Medal for 1882 will be presented to Prof. A. M. Marshall and W. P. Marshall, for their paper on the Pennatulida. THE additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the past week include a Malbrouck Monkey (Cercopithecus cynosurus) from West Africa, presented by Mr C. D. Gordon; two Grisons (Galictis vittata) from South America, presented by Mr. Percy Kenyon Slaney; two Sloth Bears (Melursus labiatus) from India, presented by Mr. F. A. Curteis; a Surucucu or Bushmaster (Lachesis mutus) from Pernambuco, presented by Mr. J. Y. Barkley; a Common Chameleon (Chameleon vulgaris) from North Africa, presented by Mr. Henry W. Weguelin; a Chimpanzee (Anthropopithecus troglodytes ) from West Africa, two Welsh Sheep (Ovis aries) from Wales, a Goffin's Cockatoo (Cacatua goffini) from Queensland, five Margined Tortoises (Testudo marginatus), thirteen European Pond Tortoises (Emys europæa), South European, deposited; a Common Seal (Phoca vitulina) from British Seas, a Grey-headed Porphyrio (Porphyrio poliocephalus), a Conical Worm Snake (Gongylophis conicus) from India, purchased; a Hybrid Tapir, ? (bred between Tapirus roulini 8 and Tapirus americanus ?), bɔrn in the Gardens. The planet will probably be situated at some distance in R.A. from these positions, which are only intended as an approximate indication of its places. The last reference to a search for it which we find in the circulars of the Berliner Jahrbuch, occurs in No. 118 (Correspondenz), 1881, March 3, where we read, “Andromache innerhalb−6m. 30s. bis – 3m. 555., und 2m. 2us. bis +4m. 15s. vergeblich gesucht." A special rough chart of stars in the vicinity to the tenth magnitude inclusive would be readily formed with the stars in the Bonn and Washington Zones as reference points. THE GREAT COMET OF 1882.-M. W. Fabritius of Kieff has calculate the following elliptical elements of this comet from two normal positions for September 9 and October 6, and an observation at Kö igsberg on March 3 in the present year :— Perihelion pas age, 1882, September 17 2753 M. T. at Berlin. Longitude of perihelion ... 276 28 401 M. Eq. a cending node 345 58 4'1 Inclination ... Motion-retrograde. 38 0 44 7 5'938209 I'943548 7.881757 1882.0 The corresponding period of revolution is a little less than 823 years, and as M. Fabritius attaches some weight to his result, he thinks the comet nust have appeared about the middle of the eleventh century. We shall doubtless have in due cour e a thorough discussion of all reliable observations; those made since September 30, when the disintegration of the nucleus commenced, will need special treatment. THE OBLIQUITY OF THE ECLIPTIC.-In NATURE, vol. xxvii. p. 618, we quoted 23° 41'1 as the value of the obliquity of the ecliptic at the as igned epoch of Ptolemy's catalogue. With reference to this statement Mr. W. J. Cockburn Muir, of Melrose, N. B., has made a discovery, on which he writes us as follows:-" In NATURE of Apri. 26, at p. 618, I read that the obliquity of the Ecliptic' is 23° 41′1, and I wondered much what had suddenly happened in the Kosmos. So I took means to ascertain fro n the Royal Observatory of Greenwich how the record stands, and I am comforted to find that, by the determinations in 1882, the earth's axis still remains at home23° 27′ 16" 8." Our correspondent may be referred to any elementary treatise on astrono ny. OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN THE MINOR PLANET, ANDROMACHE.-Among the sırall planets mentioned in the last volume of the Berliner Astronomisches Jahrbuch as having been observed at one opposition only, though several oppositions have taken place since their discovery, is No. 175, detected by the late Prof. Watson of Ann Arbor, U.S., on October 1, 1877, and named Andromache. The orbit has a considerable eccentricity, and the planet recedes to a greater distance from the sun at aphelion than is the case with any other member of this now numerous group so far calculated; indeed at this point of its orbit it is distant from the sun 4'723 (the earth's mean distance being taken as unity), and only 0594 from the orbit of Jupiter. There should be no great difficulty in recovering this planet during the month of June or July. According to the most accurate elements calculated by GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES MR. OSCAR DICKSON'S Greenland Expedition, under the command of Baron Nordenskjöld, sailed from Gothenburg in the Sofia, 180 tons, 65 horse-power, drawing 10 feet, and of II knots speed, navigated by Capt. Nilsson and a crew of 13 men. With Baron Nordenskjöld are Dr. Nathorst, geologist; Dr. Berlin, doctor and botanist; Dr. Forsstrand, zoologist; Dr. Hamberg, hydrographer; Herr Kolthoff, zoologist; Herr Kjellström, typographer and photographer; two Laplanders, two Norwegian icemasters, and one harpooner. There is on board a complete scientific equipment and 14 months' provisions for subsistence on the inland ice. Eight or nine picked men accompany Baron Nordenskjöld. Count Stromfeldt, botanist; Dr. Arpi, archæologist and philologist; and Herr Flink, mineralogist, will disembark on the coast of Iceland for the purposes of |