who do not study Greek, and B. S. for those who study neither Latin nor Greek. It has resulted that only a small proportion of students has taken the A. B. degree, yet the other degrees referred to have no definite and well established meaning. The bachelor of science degree, for example, does not mean that a student has had a scientific education, but simply that he has not studied Latin and Greek. Under these circumstances it appears that the Universities of Michigan and Minnesota have during the past month taken a forward step in abolishing all college degrees except the A. B., giving this for all courses of liberal studies. It is obvious that the A. B. no longer means a classical education when both in England and the United States its only condition is 'small Latin' in the preparatory school. Scientific students might like to see a degree established that definitely signifies a scientific education—as the B. So. of the University of London. The authorities of Columbia University recently considered the desirability of offering such a degree, but it was thought impossible to give the B. S. a definite signification.
Dr. George Davidson, professor of geography in the University of California, has been elected a correspondent of the Paris Academy of Sciences.—St. Andrews University has conferred its LL. D. on Mr. Alexander Agassiz, of Harvard University, and Aberdeen University has conferred the same honor on Professor Rudolf Virchow, of Berlin.—]Mr. J. J. H. Teall, F. R. S., has been appointed director-general of the Geological Survey of Great Britain and Ireland, in succession to Sir Archibald Geikie. who retired on February 28. Sir Archibald has been in the service of the Survey for forty-six years and has reached the age limit.—Prof. S. M. Babcock, of the University of Wisconsin, inventor of the Babcock milk test, was, on March 27, presented with a medal, voted him by the State for giving his invention free to the world. Exercises were held in the Assembly Chamber of the Capitol in the presence of both Houses of the Legislature, the university faculty and regents and many prominent citizens of the State. Governor Lafollete presided, and addresses were made by him, by ex-Governor W. D. Hoard and others.—A committee has been formed to erect at Heidelberg a monument in memory of three of its great scientific men, Bunsen, Kirchoff and von Helmholtz.—A memorial marble bust of Robert Brown, the eminent botanist, formerly a student at Aberdeen, presented to the university by Miss Hope Paton. has been unveiled in the picture gallery of Marischal College.—Three expert geologists from the United States Geological Survey (Dr. C. Willard Hayes, Mr. T. Wayland Vaughan and Mr. A. C. Spencer) have been detailed to make a geologic and mineral reconnaissance of the Island of Cuba.—The Coast and Geodetic Survey steamships. Pathfinder and McArthur, at San Francisco, and the Patterson and Gedney, at Seattle, are now fitting up, under orders to proceed to Alaska to survey important passages among the islands along the Alaskan cost.—Dr. Patrick Geddes, who was responsible for the formation of the International Association for the Advancement of Science, Arts and Education, and the holding of an International Assembly at the Paris Exposition, last year, proposes a similar assembly, in connection with the exposition and congresses to be held at Glasgow this year.—The second Latin-American Scientific Congress opened its two-weeks' session at Montevideo on March 20, with over 200 delegates in attendance. Dr. Robert Wernicke, professor of pathology in the University of Buenos Aires, Argentine Republic, was elected president of the Congress.—In order to make the free distribution of seeds by the United States Department of Agriculture as useful as possible. Secretary Wilson has secured authority to send out young trees as well as seeds.
