﻿JAN. 
  4, 
  1922 
  SCIENTIFIC 
  NOTES 
  AND 
  NEWS 
  23 
  

  

  changes 
  and 
  their 
  apparent 
  dependence 
  on 
  the 
  longitude 
  of 
  the 
  station 
  make 
  

   it 
  natural 
  to 
  seek 
  an 
  explanation 
  in 
  a 
  displacement 
  of 
  the 
  Earth's 
  Pole 
  toward 
  

   those 
  stations 
  showing 
  the 
  most 
  rapid 
  increases. 
  It 
  is 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  ob- 
  

   served 
  rates 
  of 
  change 
  may 
  be 
  satisfied 
  within 
  reasonable 
  limits 
  by 
  a 
  shifting 
  

   of 
  the 
  North 
  Pole 
  toward 
  the 
  Equator 
  along 
  the 
  meridian 
  of 
  77° 
  West 
  of 
  

   Greenwich 
  at 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  about 
  0.0050 
  second 
  a 
  year 
  combined 
  with 
  a 
  cumu- 
  

   lative 
  correction 
  to 
  the 
  average 
  declination 
  of 
  the 
  stars 
  used, 
  a 
  correction 
  

   varying 
  with 
  the 
  time 
  as 
  the 
  program 
  of 
  stars 
  varies. 
  A 
  brief 
  discussion 
  

   is 
  given 
  of 
  the 
  geophysical 
  aspects 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  shifting 
  of 
  the 
  Pole. 
  

  

  Certain 
  incidental 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  investigation 
  are 
  also 
  mentioned, 
  in 
  par- 
  

   ticular 
  a 
  rough 
  confirmation 
  of 
  Helmert's 
  work 
  on 
  the 
  figure 
  of 
  the 
  Earth 
  

   and 
  its 
  moments 
  of 
  inertia 
  as 
  deduced 
  from 
  gravity 
  observations. 
  Even 
  

   a 
  rough 
  confirmation 
  is 
  of 
  value 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  presence 
  in 
  the 
  observed 
  

   values 
  of 
  gravity 
  of 
  systematic 
  influences 
  due 
  to 
  local 
  geological 
  and 
  topo- 
  

   graphic 
  conditions, 
  and 
  also 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  good 
  determinations 
  

   of 
  gravity 
  are 
  possible 
  only 
  on 
  one-fourth 
  of 
  the 
  earth's 
  surface, 
  that 
  is, 
  on 
  

   land. 
  The 
  results 
  on 
  the 
  moments 
  of 
  inertia, 
  etc., 
  as 
  deduced 
  from 
  the 
  ob- 
  

   servations 
  of 
  the 
  International 
  Latitude 
  Service 
  are 
  subject 
  to 
  a 
  correction, 
  

   probably 
  small 
  but 
  not 
  yet 
  precisely 
  evaluated, 
  for 
  the 
  mobility 
  of 
  the 
  ocean 
  

   waters. 
  (Author's 
  abstract.) 
  

  

  H. 
  H. 
  Kimball, 
  Recording 
  Secretary. 
  

  

  SCIENTIFIC 
  NOTES 
  AND 
  NEWS 
  

  

  Mr. 
  A. 
  A. 
  Baker 
  has 
  been 
  appointed 
  geologic 
  aid 
  in 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  Geological 
  

   Survey, 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  assigned 
  to 
  the 
  Alaskan 
  Division. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  W. 
  N. 
  BramlETTE, 
  assistant 
  geologist 
  of 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  Geological 
  Survey, 
  

   has 
  been 
  furloughed 
  from 
  the 
  Survey 
  for 
  several 
  months 
  to 
  take 
  up 
  work 
  

   with 
  the 
  Department 
  of 
  Marine 
  Biology 
  of 
  the 
  Carnegie 
  Institution 
  of 
  Wash- 
  

   ington. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  David 
  I. 
  Bushnell, 
  Jr., 
  is 
  preparing 
  for 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Ethnology 
  

   a 
  short 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  Cahokia 
  and 
  other 
  mounds 
  in 
  Illinois, 
  near 
  East 
  St. 
  

   Louis, 
  Missouri. 
  A 
  unique 
  feature 
  of 
  his 
  report 
  will 
  be 
  aero-photographs 
  

   of 
  the 
  whole 
  group, 
  the 
  first 
  attempt 
  to 
  obtain 
  bird's-eye 
  views 
  of 
  North 
  

   American 
  prehistoric 
  mounds 
  from 
  an 
  aeroplane. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  W. 
  O. 
  Clark 
  has 
  resigned 
  from 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  Geological 
  Survey, 
  effective 
  

   Januar}^ 
  1, 
  to 
  accept 
  a 
  position 
  as 
  water-supply 
  geologist 
  with 
  a 
  firm 
  in 
  

   Honolulu, 
  Hawaiian 
  Islands. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Arthur 
  L. 
  Day, 
  director 
  of 
  the 
  Geophysical 
  Laboratory, 
  Carnegie 
  

   Institution 
  of 
  Washington, 
  gave 
  an 
  illustrated 
  public 
  lecture, 
  at 
  the 
  Institu- 
  

   tion 
  on 
  the 
  evening 
  of 
  November 
  29, 
  on 
  The 
  eruption 
  of 
  Mount 
  Lassen. 
  

  

  Prof. 
  Charles 
  Moureu 
  of 
  the 
  College 
  de 
  France 
  and 
  president 
  of 
  the 
  

   International 
  Union 
  of 
  Pure 
  and 
  Applied 
  Chemistry, 
  and 
  Prof. 
  A. 
  MayER 
  

   of 
  the 
  University 
  of 
  Strasbourg, 
  are 
  in 
  Washington 
  as 
  chemical 
  advisers 
  

   to 
  the 
  French 
  delegation 
  to 
  the 
  Conference 
  on 
  Limitation 
  of 
  Armaments. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Wilson 
  Popenoe, 
  agricultural 
  explorer 
  for 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  Department 
  

   of 
  Agriculture, 
  returned 
  to 
  Washington 
  in 
  November 
  after 
  a 
  two 
  years' 
  

   absence 
  in 
  Guatemala, 
  Costa 
  Rica, 
  Colombia, 
  Ecuador, 
  Peru, 
  and 
  Chile. 
  

  

  