be the father of the future stock. The discovery would appear to be almost too wonderful to be true, but its value and reality are vouched for by some of the leading bee-keepers in Germany. Mr. Woodbury, a Devonshire bee-keeper, says, "M. Köhler's process having been communicated to me, I can state that it is simple and perfectly feasible; it has moreover been tried by some of the leading apiarians in Germany, who have publicly testified to its success. The natural method of pairing seems to be intended as a provision against unions between drones and queens of the same stock, which would be brothers and sisters, and therefore in directing their union artificially this point must be kept in mind. If pure Ligurian stocks can be maintained, the black bee will probably become an extinct species in a domesticated condition.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON.

The condition of this flourishing Society was laid before the Annual Meeting in April last, by which it appeared that there were 2,702 members, and the income of the Society amounted to 25,0417. The ordinary expenses were 21,5667., and 4,6527. had been spent in new buildings or live animals. They have a reserve fund of 10,000Z. The number of persons who had visited the gardens in the year was 556,214. The gardens contained 2,010 animals, viz. 531 quadrupeds, 1,320 birds, and 129 reptiles.

Every week new animals are acquired by the gardens of the Society, a weekly register of which will be found in the pages of Mr. Buckland's Journal, 'Land and Water.' Of course, the greater number of these are birds, among which a nightingale captured in the gardens figures, and which sings contentedly in the society of a hen which has lived through the winter. The Regent-bird of Australia (Sericulus melinus) has been brought, for the first time, to England, and is interesting from possessing bower-building habits in common with the Satin-bird and Bower-bird. Some of the magnificent Formosa pheasants (Euplocamus Swinhoii) have also been received. But perhaps the most popularly interesting animals are four ringed or marbled seals (Phoca discolor), which occupy the pond in the place of the curious Walrus which unfortunately died.

At the ordinary meetings of the Society the usual amount of interest has been exhibited. Perhaps the most important paper was one by Professor Huxley, on the classification and distribution of the birds belonging to his divisions, Alectoromorphæ and Heteromorphæ. This elaborate paper treated of the homologies of the

By the latter term the Professor proposed to designate the singular form Opisthocomus, which recent examination had convinced him must be arranged as a distinct group in the vicinity of the Alectoromorphæ.

parts of the skeletons of birds. Professor Huxley's remarks led him to believe in the existence of closer affinity than had before been held in birds of opposite habits, and which were widely separated by most authors. For instance, he did not find any important difference between the skeletons of Crax and Talegalla. He dwelt much on the peculiarities of the sternum in birds as separating genera and families.

Mr. H. Adams continues his researches among the shells of such places as Ceylon, Mauritius, Bourbon, and Seychelles; and Messrs. Sclater and Salvin continue their investigation of the birds of America. Mr. R. Brown read a paper "On the Fauna of Queensland." Dr. Baird described a new species of intestinal worm of the genus Sclerostoma from the stomach of the African elephant; and Mr. Blyth exhibiting a specimen of the Cretan goat, which he considered to be identical with the Capra gagrus of Afghanistan, Mr. Busk took occasion to corroborate the identity, and to observe that he believed the species to be the ancestor of the domestic goat.

A very interesting paper was read by Mr. Bartlett upon the incubation of that singular bird, the Apteryx, or Kiwi Kiwi. It appears that a male bird having recently been introduced, the hitherto solitary female had paired, and it was hoped that young would have resulted. The female had previously produced eggs, but which were of course infertile. The birds, perfectly quiet by day, were heard to be active during the night, the male uttering the note kiwi kiwi from time to time, whence its native name. female produced two eggs, and sat upon them, but with no result, as they did not appear to have been fecundated. Mr. Sclater stated that he considered two to be the normal number of eggs sat upon by the struthious birds.

The

THE PUBLIC HEALTH.

LONDON. After the reading of Mr. Rumsey's able address on "State Medicine," at the meeting of the British Medical Association in Dublin, a joint committee of that Association and the Social Science Association was formed, for the purpose of taking into consideration the best means of securing further sanitary legislation and, more especially, the revision and consolidation of existing sanitary laws. The committee has had several meetings, and an active correspondence has been carried on amongst its members. The result has been the publication of two separate documents, a "memorandum" and a "memorial," which have been submitted to Her Majesty's Government. On Friday, the 2nd May, a numerous deputation of members of parliament, members of the joint committee of the two Associations, and medical officers of health from various parts of the country formed a deputation to wait on the Duke of Marlborough, as President of Her Majesty's Privy Council, the Right Hon. the Earl of Devon, President of the Poor Law Board, and the Right Hon. Gathorne Hardy, the Home Secretary, for the purpose of urging the object of the memorial, which was to promote a better administration of the laws relating to registration, medico-legal inquiries, and the improvement of the public health.

If past experience had not demonstrated the almost utter hopelessness of pressing upon Government officials the necessity of amending the condition of our sanitary laws, it might have been hoped that the imposing demonstration that waited on the Government in May would have produced some impression.

Almost all sections of the medical profession and of the societies interested in sanitary matters were represented. The president elect of the British Medical Association, the president of the Medical Council of Great Britain, the late president (Sir Thomas Watson) of the College of Physicians were there. Dr. Rumsey, of Cheltenham, Dr. Farr, of the Registrar-General's Office, Dr. Guy, and Mr. Chadwick were there. The deputation was, in fact, a parliament, a body of men who thoroughly understood the great questions they were about to urge upon the Government, and who if representative institutions were in this country what they ought to be would not be suing to be heard, but would be placed in a position where they might legislate on the great subject they so thoroughly understand. The memorial of the deputation in the first place sets forth that the time has come when the imperial parliament ought to take seriously into its consideration the question of whether any of

the crude mass of legislation of which they have been guilty for the last twenty-five years has been of any good at all; whether it has not "tended to defeat, in whole or in part," the object it has had in view. The memorial then speaks in detail of the deficiencies of certain departments of state action in relation to health matters, and begins with registration. It deprecates the present imperfect system of registering births and deaths, and speaks of the absence of any registration of still-births and disease. The next subject alluded to is the present imperfect method of working medico-legal inquiries, requiring the coroner to employ inefficient medical witnesses, and refusing him the aid of efficient and experienced experts in his inquiries, and thereby encouraging secret murders, especially poisoning. The memorial also speaks of the present system of dealing with medical evidence in courts of law as such that it altogether prevents the discovery of truth, discredits scientific medicine, and is a fruitful source of perplexity and misconception to bench, bar, and jury."

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The memorial then refers to the fact that in many of the large towns of the kingdom the death-rate is steadily increasing, and that, in spite of all our sanitary legislation, few towns have taken advantage of it; that in scarcely any of them have medical officers of health been appointed at all. It also draws attention to the fact that the amount actually disbursed under the present disjointed and very inefficient system would, if otherwise distributed-the districts and many of the duties being consolidated-go far to maintain a sufficient staff of specially trained and highly qualified district scientific officers with inspectorial functions. The memorial concludes:

"For all these reasons, and for others set forth in the accompanying 'memorandum' (drawn up by Dr. Rumsey, and approved by the joint committee), we ask for a thorough, impartial, and comprehensive inquiry, by a royal commission, having power to visit, or to send sub-commissioners to visit, the large towns, and other districts of the country, to obtain information and evidence, and to report

on:

"1. The manner in which the cases and causes of sickness and of death are and should be inquired into and recorded in the United Kingdom.

"2. The manner in which coroners' inquests and other medicolegal inquiries are and ought to be conducted, having reference particularly to the methods of taking scientific evidence.

"3. The operation and administration of sanitary laws, with special reference to the manner in which scientific and medical advice and aid in the prevention of disease are and should be afforded; and also with special reference to the extent of the areas or districts most convenient for sanitary and medico-legal purposes.

"4. The sanitary organization, existing and required, including a complete account of the several authorities and officers. The education, selection, qualification, duties, powers, tenure, and remuneration of the said officers to be specially reported on.

"5. The revision and consolidation of the sanitary laws, having special reference to the increase of the efficiency of their administration both central and local.'

The speakers on the occasion were Dr. Acland, Mr. Chadwick, Mr. Michael (formerly a medical man, now a barrister), Dr. Sibson, Mr. Acland, M.P., Dr. Symonds, Dr. Stewart, and Dr. Rumsey. Most of the speakers urged upon the Duke of Marlborough the necessity of a Royal Commission. Dr. Symonds, of Bristol, late a president of the British Medical Association, urged the creation by the Government of a new order of medical men, who would give their undivided attention to sanitary matters and to questions of medical jurisprudence. He said, speaking of medical men as at present authorized, "they were chiefly educated for the care of the sick; and, in the practice of professional duties over some years, a great deal of the knowledge which they primarily possessed would be found to have slipped away from their memories when they were suddenly examined upon some particular point requiring minute investigation. Now the medical man, when called upon to give evidence in a court of law, had to do so on three different heads. He had to give evidence such as an ordinary witness would on points which would be within general observation; then he had to give evidence of matters which had come within his knowledge as a professional man; then he was called upon to speak as to circumstances of which he was supposed to possess a knowledge by an acquaintance with chemistry and natural science. But it must be stated that a man might have possessed a great amount of knowledge of chemistry and natural science at an earlier time of his life, without being able to prove his knowledge in a law-court; and he might be a most able practitioner, yet, when called upon to discharge the duties of a medical jurist, might show great shortcomings. Then medical men were differently qualified in different parts of the country, and while some were educated well, others were educated ill. Surely, under these circumstances, it was not right that men should have the administration of the sanitary laws with only a general professional knowledge. This was a most important point, for the people had the right to have the best and most efficient officers to be obtained. What was required in Lincolnshire was demanded in Lancashire, and it was not right that there should be any difference in the qualification of the men who were to administer these important laws either in the one place or the other. It seemed to those who attended there, that a new order of medical men should be called into existence, upon whom should devolve the consideration of all those questions,