556 NATURAL SCIENCE. g^,,. 



regarding it as a "degraded type." Side by side with this paper was read one by 

 Professor Bower, in which, with admirable lucidity, he brought forward not 

 only "modern instances" in support of his well-known views on the evolution 

 of the Vascular Cryptogams, but drew support from a minute study, recently made, 

 of fossil remains in the Botanical Department of the British Museum. Dr. Scotland 

 Mr. Brebner made a solid contribution to plant anatomy, viz., an examination of cases 

 of secondary thickening of the stems of certain Monocotyledons. This paper, indeed, 

 like Mr. George Murray's "on a comparison of the marine floras of the warm 

 Atlantic and Indian Ocean," seemed a little too solid to be easily digestible by a 

 British Association audience. A paper was read by Miss Nina Layard on the arrange- 

 ment of the buds in Lemna. Nothing very revolutionary came of it, and since the 

 Secretaries of the Section did not emulate the zeal of their geographical colleagues 

 when a lady " e.xplorer " appears on the scene, no profound sensation was caused by 

 the modest presentation of an unpretentious paper. On the whole, the botanical 

 subsection showed no approach, even for a moment, to the giddiness associated in 

 the public mind with these meetings. 



Besides Professor James Geikie's Address on coast-lines, several other geological 

 matters were submitted to the Geographical Section. Mr. John Thomson vividly 

 described the eroding action of rain and streams in Formosa, and Mr. J. Y. Buchanan 

 opened a discussion on the winding of rivers. There was a long discussion with the 

 chemists on Oceanography ; and the Prince of Monaco advocated the establishment 

 of meteorological stations on the Azores and other Atlantic islands. 



In his address to the Anthropological Section, Professor Macalister critically 

 reviewed recent advances, and lamented the want of precision in anthropological 

 works. The Committee for the Investigation of the Canadian Indians presented a 

 good report ; and there were important discussions on Criminal Anthropology, and 

 on a proposed Ethnographic Survey of the British Isles. Dr. Garson's report on 

 measurements of members of the Association at Cardiff was ungratefully received, 

 being described as meaningless ; and the e.xhibitor of some supposed pre-palaeolithic 

 flint implements from the North Downs of Kent met with little encouragement. 



The General Committee of the Association voted the total sum of ;^i,ooo 

 to the various committees engaged in research. The grants to the Geological 

 Section were small in amount, applied to the subjects of Erratic Blocks, 

 Underground Waters, Geological Photographs, and some Palzeontological Inves- 

 tigations. In Biology, the sum of ;^ioo is granted for the maintenance of a table at 

 the Naples Zoological Station, and £io for another at Plymouth ; /20 is devoted 

 to the expenses of Mr. Sherborn's Index of the Genera and Species of Animals, and 

 a similar amount for the study of Asphyxia ; ;^ioo is granted for the exploration of 

 the Sandwich Islands, half that amount for further enquiries into the Zoology and 

 Botany of the West India Islands, and £t,o for dredging in the Irish Sea. In 

 Geography, the Committee for the exploration of the Karakorum Mountains receives 

 /50, and that for the investigation of the Climatology and Hydrography of Tropical 

 Africa a similar sum ; ;^io is granted for the study of Scottish Place Names. In 

 Anthropology the Committees on Ancient Remains in Abyssinia, the Tribes of 

 N.W. Canada, and the Natives of India receive respectively ^25, £100, and £10. 

 The Corresponding Societies' Committee has £^0, and the Anthropometric 

 Laboratory £~,. 



The organisation of the new University of Chicago is progressing well, and 

 the first session will begm on October i next. The Director of the Biological 

 Institute is Dr. Charles O. Whitman, who also holds the Professorship of Animal 

 Morphology. Most of the Director's colleagues lately in the Clark University at 

 Worcester (Mass.), accompany him in the new institution. The Professorship of 

 Biology still remains vacant, but the Chairs of Anatomy and Comparative 

 Neurology are held respecti%-ely by Dr. Franklin P. Mall and Dr. H. H. Donaldson. 

 Dr. Georg Baur occupies the position of Assistant-Professor of Comparative Osteology 

 and Palaeontology. 



