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Fr d ric Mistral, the Proven al poet recently award ed $10,000 as half share of the Nobel prize for litera ture, intends to devote this sum to the development and adequate installation of the ethnographical mu seum--Le Mus e Arletan--founded by him some years ago at Aries. For this purpose the municipal authori ties agree to make over an old palace, now used as a college, the restoration and adaptation of which will cost $50,000. An American resident at Avignon, Mr. Edward Leon, has offered $10,000 as a subscription, and will arrange for five lectures in the United States to help on the fund thus inaugurated. The prizes for the year 1904 have been awarded, we learn from La Nature, by the Paris Society for the Encouragement of National Industry. The grand prix of the Marquis d'Argenteuil has been awarded to MM. Auguste and Louis Lumi re for their discoveries in photography. The "chemical arts" gold medal has been awarded to M. H roult for his works on electro metallurgy, and the "constructions and fine arts" medal to M. Arnodin. Gold medals have also been awarded to M. Boulanger for his micrographie work, to M. Grey for a rolling-mill, to M. Guillet for his work in metal lurgy, and to M. Schwoerer for his system of super heated steam. To those connoisseurs who evince great pride in their collections of Dresden china, it will come as a great shock to learn that to-day there is no such product under this name, although sold as such. In the course of a prosecution in London, where a firm was prose cuted for selling ware as Dresden and marking the goods as such, it was stated that no china is manu factured at Dresden. The name is applied to the pro ducts of the royal factory at Meissen. Furthermore, many pottery decorators at Dresden work upon china that is manufactured at different places, is transferred to that city, receives its imprint, and is then disposed of as Dresden china. At a recent meeting in London of the British Orni thologists' Club were shown the legs of three lapwings, demonstrating the extraordinary injuries that are in flicted by the accidental entanglement of sheeps' wool around the feet of the birds. In one instance so tightly had the wool encircled the bird's foot, that one of the toes had mortified and had dropped off, while in another case the bird had lost all its toes from this cause. The birds become entangled with the wool while flying among bushes and shrubs upon the ani mal's grazing ground, and also when they settle upon the sheeps' backs, and their beaks are not sufficiently strong or long enough to remove the strands from their feet. An interesting archeological discovery was made in the neighborhood of Bournemouth, England, recently. During the construction of a new road the excavators cut into a mound, which Is indicated upon the maps as an ancient burial ground, and a large sun-baked clay urn was unearthed. It was in a remarkable state of preservation, and was intact, though In removing it the vessel was slightly damaged. The urn was only buried a few inches below the surface of the ground; in fact, the roots of the heather had forced their way into the interior of the receptacle into the ashes and dust it contained. Upon examination by experts, the urn was estimated to be two thousand years old. As this road will penetrate through other similar mounds, the work is to be conducted under the supervision of antiquarians, in the hope that other articles of archaeo logical value may be excavated. According to Nature, an optical convention will be held, under the. presidency of Dr. R. T. Glazebrook, F. R. S., at a date toward the end of May next, at the Northampton Institute, Clerkenwell, London, B. C. The object of the convention is to bring into co-opera tion men interested in optical matters. A sub-com mittee has been appointed to consider the subjects of papers on optical questions, which should be brought before the convention, and suggestions as to subjects for discussion will be welcomed. It has been decided to organize an exhibition, of a scientific character, of instruments manufactured in this country, with a view to show the progress recently made and to stimulate further efforts. In order that interest in the conven tion may not be confined to London workers in optics, a sub-committee is being formed to secure the assistance of local representatives. The honorary secretary of the convention is Mr. F. J. Selby, Elm Lodge, Teddington.
