Dr. A. S. Eakle presented 'Notes on Some Rocks from the Fiji Islands.' The collection, which included both igneous and sedimentary rocks from about twenty of the smaller volcanic islands, was made by Mr. Alexander Agassiz during his recent studies in that region. The specimens of eruptive rocks were found to include hornblende andesites, augite andesites, hypersthene andesites and basalts.

J. M. BOUTWEll, Recording Secretary.

TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB, JANUARY 25, 1899. DR. N. L. BRITTON presented a report on the progress of the New York Botanical Garden, with exhibition of photographs. Dr. Britton said that during 1898 the species cultivated in the Garden at Bronx Park have reached 2,110, a gain of 700 on the previous year. The fruticetum, on the plain northeast of the Museum building, was begun in October, and now includes 195 species. The arboretum has been increased to 178 species, including those native to the tract. A viticetum is in preparation, to be planted next spring, including rock-ledges, and a rustic arbor about 600 feet long, now nearly completed. An additional nursery space near the southern corner of the tract was prepared in the spring, and planted partly with Siberian cuttings. Border screens are now planted around the entire tract except to the south. A complete record of all plants grown is kept by means of a card catalogue. From every plant which flowers on the ground an herbarium specimen is made; and these are classified in a special herbarium, useful already in satisfying inquiries. The use of the greenhouse on the Columbia University grounds at Morningside Heights was granted in 1896, and is still very important to the Garden. This is the old greenhouse built in 1857 by Mr. S. Henshaw for the Bloomingdale Asylum, and is one of the oldest greenhouses still standing in the United States.

Progress on the Museum building has been active, and it is thought it will be ready for occupation by midsummer. The Power House is nearly ready to put into operation. A subway from this to the Museum is under construc-. tion. A stable, toolhouse, etc., have been

finished. The range of horticultural houses is planned to contain 13 houses; the contract for 7 of these has been signed, and ground was formally broken for them on January 3, 1899. Important work has been done toward improving the drainage of the Herbaceous Grounds, and a great deal of grading, and the terraces about the Museum have been begun. The Lorillard Mansion is now used as a police station-house, occupied by more than 65 officers, making a new and wholesome water-supply necessary. This has now been finished.

The Hemlock Forest remains in healthy condition; only three trees have died in the last three years.

The Museum is planned to provide in the basement a lecture-room seating 900; on the first floor a collection of plant-products, with models and photographs; on the second, a scientific collection for expert use, including a mounted collection of the local flora on swinging panels; followed by herbarium and laboratories on the top floor.

The herbarium already includes 30,000 specimens. Through the liberality of Mr. Cornelius Vanderbilt, Mr. and Mrs. Heller are now making collections in Porto Rico. Messrs. P. A. Rydberg and Ernest Bessey made collections in 1897 in Montana, through the liberality of Mr. W. E. Dodge. The results will soon appear as a Flora of Montana, forming the first volume of the Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden. E. S. BURGESS, Secretary.

ceive sufficient training in the public presentation of their ideas, whether those ideas be original or borrowed. Most advanced scientific students in our colleges are obliged to attend and take part in seminars or conferences, at which their colleagues and teachers are supposed to criticise any scientific papers that may be presented. So far as my experience goes, the criticism is apt to be almost wholly as to scientific accuracy, with but little thought of several other points that are of vital importance. I fear teachers and professors are too apt to tolerate poor order, poor English and a 'dead-and-alive' manner of speaking, thinking the unfortunate beginner will gain wisdom by experience.

Judging from my own experience and the comments of others, I would say that our scientific workers often fail to carry their point and to win public sympathy for their work and cause because in their public utterances they do not follow rational lines of procedure. They are very apt : (1) to present an unorganized and apparently unrelated series of facts-their plan is rambling; (2) not to choose and emphasize the important points, probably because of lack of training in measuring the comparative worth of facts; (3) to use poor and inexcusable English; (4) to speak in a dazed sort of way, as though they themselves were not thoroughly convinced, as yet, of the truth of their results; (5) not to address the audience, a map or a blackboard under their influence being as inspiring as the audience, and much less embarrassing; (6) not to divide their time so as to complete their presentation within reasonable limits, thus causing weariness and restlessness on part of audience; (7) not to make good use of illustrative material in the way of maps, diagrams, specimens, lantern slides, etc.

Now the remedy for these serious failures that few men can outgrow seems to me to be largely in the hands of our college and scientific school teachers, and I would like to see a plan adopted in college seminars that would not allow a student to appear before his colleagues and masters until his plan of procedure had been censored, along the lines I have suggested, by some one of experience in public utterance. The student should also receive criticism

after his paper, so as to bring out the weak points in his argument or manner, thus minimizing the possibility of an equal failure at his next appearance. Such criticism does not kill individuality, but strengthens it, and certainly gives the student a greater confidence in and respect for his teachers. Should our colleges and scientific schools uniformly adopt such a method of training, our scientific gatherings ten years hence would not be so largely composed of specialists and those who attend from duty and with considerable sacrifice. It would also be much easier to secure public support for scientific work were more of our leaders able to win the interest of the public, without becoming merely popular lecturers,' by whom scientific accuracy is apt to be sacrificed for the sake of impressiveness.

Such work as I have suggested for our teachers takes much time and energy and seems at first not to pay; but immediate returns are not always the best, and there is no work on the part of a teacher that can give greater satisfaction in the long run than that which has helped beginners to make the most of their latent powers.

cold and damp morning; the air was not clear, and there was a film of thin clouds over all the sky. The weather records at St. Paul Observatory, five miles distant from Hamline, indicated, S. E. 6 miles per hour for the wind, 29.50 as the Barograph reading of the barometric pressure, and 20 degrees below zero as the thermograph reading of the temperature. The two 'sun-dogs' proper were g and h of the figure and were so brilliant that it was painful to look at them, and a line of intense light stretched from them outwards toward d and c. There were two circles surrounding the sun; one, the inner one, was complete; the other was nearly so, but dipped below the horizon. There were arcs of two circles turned from the sun at a and b, and at these points there was a display of prismatic colors. The large outer circle looked much like a rainbow, especially near the horizon. This latter fact seemed connected with the fact that there was almost moisture enough in the air to constitute a very fine snow.

H. L. OSBORN. HAMLINE UNIVERSITY, ST. PAUL, MINN., February 20, 1899.

DEGREES IN SCIENCE AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY. HARVARD UNIVERSITY conferred for the first time last year the degree of 'Master of Science.' As the creation of this degree appears at first sight to be a new recognition of science, it may be desirable to point out that there are aspects under which it is, in fact, harmful to science and a retrograde movement in that university to which we look for guidance. It is, indeed, logical to have a degree between the S. B. and S. D. parallel to the A. M., but it would be equally logical and, in my opinion, far better to abolish the S. B. and S. D.

The composition of the Lawrence Scientific School of Harvard University is not made less heterogeneous by giving all its graduates the same degree. Some of the students are pursuing studies in applied science exactly parallel to those of the schools of medicine, law and theology, and should on graduation be given a technical degree signifying the profession that they have been trained to practice, i. e., C. E., civil engineer, etc. Others of the students are following the same scientific studies as may be elected

by students of the college who receive the A.B. The difference is that the Lawrence Scientific School may be entered with an inadequate preparation. Fortunately, plans have been adopted that will gradually raise the requirements for admission to the Scientific School to substantial equality with those of the college. At present consequently the S. B., in its sense of a liberal education based upon science, means, as compared with the A. B. for the same studies, an inadequate preparation; later it will signify a secondary education without Latin.

Students of Harvard College, as of the Great English universities, may now take the A.B. without any study of Latin or Greek at the University. This freedom of election has, as President Eliot points out in his last annual report, maintained at Harvard the relative numerical importance of the traditional degree better than in any other American institution. The A. B. is becoming almost obsolete in our great State universities. Thus at California last year among 191 bachelors only 30 were in arts, at Wisconsin among 173 only 13, etc. I regard this as unfortunate as the Ph. B. and S.B. at these universities means simply a liberal education without Greek or without Latin and Greek. It seems to me more consistent to give the A.B. for liberal studies as is done at Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Columbia, Cornell and the English universities. But of these universities only Cornell is sufficiently logical to admit that a liberal education is possible without 'small Latin' in the preparatory school. dent Eliot will anticipate the course of educational progress, as he has so often done, if he will transfer the required study of English to the preparatory school, as he aims to do, and will secure the admission of students to Harvard College without Latin. The S.B., S.M. and S.D. would then be superfluous as degrees for liberal studies. I regard them as useless altogether, except that it might be desirable to give the Sc. B., simultaneously with a technical scientific degree and to maintain Sc. D. and Litt. D. as honorary degrees. In the English universities Sc. refers to science, while B.S. and M.S. refer to surgery, consequently Sc. rather than S. should be used.

Presi

At Harvard the A.M. and the Ph.D. are

given for advanced work to Bachelors of Arts, and the S.D., and since last year the S.M., to Bachelors of Science. The S.D. is given for exactly the same, scientific research and study as the Ph.D., and means the same thing, except that it is in addition a certificate of a poor preparatory education. It is no wonder that it is not popular, having been awarded only once in the past three years, while the Ph. D. has been awarded sixty-nine times. If a student comes to Harvard from a Western university, having studied Latin throughout his college course and received a Ph. B., he is apparently not eligible for the Ph.D. What would be done with a student coming with the A.B. from Cornell, but never having studied Latin, I do not know. The maintenance at Harvard of the S.M. and S.D. as second-rate degrees appears to be a needless limitation of the usefulness of its graduate school, and a wounding of science in the house of its friends.

.........

3. A thesis of not less than three thousand words on a topic relating to irrigation .20 4. A statement of not more than three thousand words setting forth a plan of irrigation investigations in the arid regions of the United States for the benefit of the farmers of those regions................ ........20

It will not be necessary for applicants to appear at any place for examination, but the statements and theses required may be prepared by the competitors at their homes upon forms which will be furnished by the United States Civil Service Commission upon request. Competitors will be required to furnish sworn statements as to the integrity of the work submitted by them.

Under similar conditions and on the same day an eligible register will be established for the position of tobacco expert to the Department of Agriculture. The subjects and weights are as follows:

1. Experience, including complete statement of personal experience in connection with the development of the tobacco industry of Florida...........................

.30

2. Administrative ability, including a full statement of personal experience in the administration of work connected with the growth, purchase, manipulation and marketing of the Florida tobacco..........30

3. Two theses, of two thousand to four thousand words in length, on subjects relating to the tobacco industry........ ...40

On May 9th and 10th an examination will be held for the position of computor in the Nautical Almanac office, the subjects and weights being:

1. Algebra

.15

.10

.20

Further information regarding these positions and blanks for applications may be obtained from the U.S. Civil Service Commission, Washington, D. C.

SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS.

THE National Academy of Sciences will hold its stated annual meeting, beginning on Tuesday, April 18th.

AT the annual meeting of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific on March 25th the second award of its Bruce Gold Medal was announced. It was conferred upon Dr. Arthur Auwers, of Berlin.

SIR WILLIAM TURNER, professor of anatomy in the University of Edinburgh, has been elected President of the British Association for the Bradford meeting of 1900.

IT is announced that Mr. Llewellyn W. Longstaff, a member of the Royal Geographical Society of London, has contributed $125,000 towards the fund for the British Antarctic expedition.

DR. L. L. HUBBARD has resigned the position of State Geologist of Michigan. The American Geologist states that he has taken this action owing to the delay of the State Board of Auditors in authorizing the publication of the Reports of the Survey.

DR. E. V. WILLCOX has resigned his position as zoologist and entomologist in the Montana Agricultural College and Station to accept a position in the office of Experiment Stations in the place of Dr. F. C. Kenyon, resigned. Dr. Willcox will have charge of the departments of zoology, entomology and veterinary science of the Experiment Station Record.

MR. LE GRAND POWERS, of Minnesota, has been appointed Chief Statistician in charge of agricultural statistics, and Mr. William C. Hunt, of Massachusetts, has been given charge of the statistics of population in the twelfth census. Mr. Hunt held the same position in the census of 1890. Mr. Powers is Chief of the Minnesota Bureau of Labor.

M. FILHOL has been elected an associate of the Paris Academy of Medicine in the place of

the late Dr. Worms. M. Filhol is a member of the Paris Academy of Sciences, and has published important memoirs in anatomy, zoology and paleontology.

PROFESSOR LUIGI CREMONA, professor of mathematics at the University of Rome, and Professor Alexander Karpinski, St. Petersburg, Director of the Russian Geological Survey, have been elected foreign members of the Belgian Academy of Sciences.

DR. T. GRIGOR BRODIE, lecturer on physiology at St. Thomas's Hospital Medical School, has been nominated by the Laboratories Committee of the Royal Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons to be Director of the Research Laboratories on the Thames Embankment.

He

MR. E. E. GREEN, the well-known Ceylon entomologist, has been appointed Government Entomologist on the staff of the Agricultural Department of that island, with residence at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya. is about to visit England, and will return to Ceylon to take up his work about September. For many years Mr. Green has been doing admirable work on the insects of Ceylon, with especial regard to injurious species, and a better selection could not have been made for the new position.

DR. WALTER R. HARPER, of Sydney, New South Wales, starts this month on a trip in the New Hebrides to investigate the somatology and folk-lore of that group. We are informed by him that the museums of Australia, although new, have already secured some remarkable collections representative of Australian ethnology. The museum at Sydney, under the curatorship of R. Etheridge, and the one at Adelaide in charge of Dr. Stirling, are especially good owing to the interest of their curators in ethnology. Lately the Western government sent a collecting party into the interior under the leadership of Mr. Alex. Morton, Curator of the Tasmanian Museum. This expedition was successful and secured among other things a series of carved bull-roarers, which are sacred objects there. Lack of funds hampers the work in Australia as elsewhere, and the field is yet largely unknown. Much valuable material remains to be investigated even in the Eastern