PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 19 



are to be published shortly. An Orinoco expedition has lately 

 returned with valuable geographical and meteorological infor- 

 mation amongst other results. The organization of an ocean 

 expedition like that of the Challenger, has been much urged, 

 but I fear that the present is considered an unsuitable time 

 and that lack of funds will prevent it from being carried out. 

 A new edition of the lin. and Jin. to the mile Ordnance 

 Survey Maps is being issued and a good deal of colour is used, 

 which will bring into prominence the contours and different 

 features such as rivers, woods, &c. The roads are divided 

 into no less than ten categories, the main roads being coloured 

 red. It is an unfortunate fact that deserts in several parts of 

 the continents of America, Asia, Europe and Africa, are 

 spreading. It is believed that they have been caused, in at 

 least some cases, by alterations in the courses of rivers, and 

 that it would be possible at all events in S. Africa to divert 

 these rivers into their old courses and improve an area of 

 more than 1,000,000 square miles. When the need of more 

 food for the earth's growing population becomes more pressing 

 this matter will perhaps be seriously taken in hand. 



ARCHAEOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY. 



By the liberality of the Prince of Monaco, who has already 

 done much for several other branches of science, an Institute 

 of Human Palaeontology has been opened in Paris for the 

 study of all problems relating to the origin and development 

 of man. In the New York Museum, five large halls are devoted 

 to the different geological types, from Invertebrates, through 

 Fishes, Reptiles and the lower Mammals, to the Hall of the 

 Age of Man, where Palaeolithic man is represented in four 

 large Mural paintings, with mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses 

 and other animals amongst which he lived. These are founded 

 chiefly on cave paintings in France and Spain, and human and 

 other remains of that early period. Besides these, hypothetical 

 reproductions of the various types of early man and his 

 nearest allies, such as Pithecanthropus, have been made, 

 and even one of Neanderthal man is attempted, though this 



