April 20, 191 1] 



NATURE 



267 



Llaces adopted by the council of the Royal Geographical 

 Society, the Foreign and Colonial Office, the Admiralty, 

 and the War Office be used." 



" That an organised scheme for the future of the 

 Australian aborigines be formulated and submitted for the 

 consideration of the Federal and State Governments, and 

 ithat the following be a committee to collect evidence, 

 ' V up and submit a proposed scheme to aid these 

 orities in the event of their consenting to take up 

 question, and that such scheme receive the support of 

 association :— Prof. J. Wilson, Dr. Norris, Prof. 

 !win Spencer, Prof. Stirling (Adelaide), Mr. Gillen, 

 Dr. G. Brown, Archdeacon Lefroy, Dr. Cleland, 

 power to add to their number." 

 ithropometric Tests. — " (i) This section recommends 

 all anthropometric measurements under the control of 

 Australasian Governments be based on the schedule 

 he British Anthropometric Committee. (2) That the 

 iiitage of utilising for this purpose the existing 

 hinerv for medical inspection of school children, in the 

 us States, and of the compulsory cadet service of the 

 unonwealth, be urged on the authorities concerned. 

 That a committee, consisting of Profs. Masson, Lyle, 

 Osborne, Drs. Norris and Harvey Sutton, Mr. Tate, 

 nel Watson, and the Public Works Architect, be 

 .inted to investigate the subject of ventilation in build- 

 , and that the committee be asked to present a report 

 le next meeting (Melbourne)." 

 i.cneral Recommendation. — " That the president of the 

 association be requested to communicate with the Prime 

 Minister of the Dominion of New Zealand, and place 

 before him the desirability of proceeding with the work 

 of describing and publishing the results of the examina- 

 tion of the collection of fossils made by the officers of the 

 Geological Survey of New Zealand, and deposited in the 

 Dominion Museum, Wellington." 



" That it is important in the interests of higher educa- 

 tion that additional university teaching should be provided 

 in the department of philosophy, more especially in the 

 subjrcts of sociology and experimental psychology." 



" That a time limit be set for authors of papers read 

 before the association, which shall not be exceeded except 

 by sjvcial arrangement made beforehand with the sectional 

 committi'i'. " 



" That a general discussion on ' The Eucalypts and their 

 Products ' be brought forward at the Melbourne meeting." 

 Geophysical Observatory at Barren Jack.— The sum of 

 50/. was voted to assist in defraying the expense of 

 establishing a geophysical observatory near Barren Jack 

 reservoir, for the purpose of attempting to measure the 

 amount of earth tilt under load. 



Survey Work around Ne'uu Zealand. — " That, in the 

 opinion of the Australasian Association, the investigation 

 of the continental shelf around New Zealand and the 

 islands of the south of New Zealand is a work of press- 

 ing necessity, both for scientific and for economic reasons ; 

 and the association, while recognising the value of the 

 work already done in this direction, would urge upon the 

 New Zealand Government the desirability of taking 

 advantage of the facilities offered by the stay of the 

 Antarctic exploring ship. Terra Nova, in New Zealand to 

 complete the survey of the surrounding seas by sound- 

 ing's and dredgings as far as possible." 



'rofection of Forests. — " That, in view of the vital 

 >rtance of the conservation of water in .Australia b>' 

 protection of forests and timber around the sources of 

 : ivers and streams, and which was to have been con- 

 red at the present congress, but was deferred until 

 next meeting in Melbourne, by resolution carried last 

 flay, it is advisable that a special committee be now 

 ►inted to deal with the question in the meantime, and 

 bring it to the notice of the several Governments of 

 Commonwealth, in order to prepare the way for a 

 successful result when dealing with the matter at the 

 'ourne meeting." 

 • ojogical Comynittces. — (i) A committee to inquire into 

 question of the classification of the Permo-Carbon- 

 us of Australia, with a view to the revision of the 

 •nclature. (2) \ committee for recording structural 

 ires in .Australia. (3) A committee to investigate and 

 ■ it on the glacial phenomena in Australasia. (4) A 



NO. 2164, VOL. 86] 



committee to investigate questions of quaternary climate 

 in Australasia. (5) A committee for the investigation of 

 the alkaline rocks of Australasia. 



Tidal Survey. — " The Australasian Association for the 

 Advancement of Science at its Sydney meeting in 191 1 

 views with satisfaction the successful establishment by the 

 New Zealand Government of the Tidal Survey, and trusts 

 that at many of the outlying islands automatic tide gauges 

 may be estaijlished, and the results systematically analysed. 

 It directs that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to 

 the Prime Minister of New Zealand." 



Scientific Literature. — " That a committee be appointed 

 to consider the steps which should be taken with a view 

 to the compilation of a list, as complete as possible, of 

 the scientific serial periodical literature, both in public and 

 private possession in each of the principal centres of 

 Australia." 



The council passed the following resolutions with regard 

 to Antarctic exploration : — " This committee recommends 

 that the sum of 1000/. be paid from the funds of the 

 association towards the expenses of the proposed Antarctic 

 expedition, on the following conditions :— 



" (i) That the expedition be under the supreme com- 

 mand of Dr. Mawson, free from control by any authority 

 outside Australia. 



" (2) That the details of the scientific work and the 

 appointment of the members of the expedition be placed in 

 the hands of a special committee of the association, such 

 committee to have full power, subject to the approval of 

 the leader of the expedition. But this condition shall be 

 open to modification after consultation with the Common- 

 wealth Government. 



" (3) That Sir E. Shackleton's full consent to the first 

 condition be first obtained. 



" (4) That the sum subscribed be spent upon instru- 

 ments, which shall become the property of the association 

 on the conclusion of the expedition." 



The Governor, Lord Chelmsford, gave a garden-party at 

 Government House, Rose Bay. The association received 

 similar hospitality from Miss Macdonald, principal of the 

 Women's College. 



The president of St. Ignatius College, Riverview, mvited 

 the members of Sections A and C to visit the college to 

 inspect the fine seismological observatory installed at the 

 college. Other invitations were received from various 

 engineering departments of the State. Dr. Harvey Sutton, 

 of Melbourne, gave a demonstration showing how to make 

 and to throw boomerangs. 



Prof. T. W. Edgeworth David was unanimously elected 

 president for the next meeting of the association, which 

 will be held in Melbourne in 1913. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



The thirtv-eighth annual dinner of the old students of 

 the Roval School of Mines will be held on Thursday. 

 Mav 4,' at the CM Monico. Piccadilly Circus, }}■ J^- 

 chair will be taken bv Sir Thomas H. Holland, K.C.S.I., 

 F R S Tickets mav be obtained from the hon. secretary. 

 Mr. Arthur C. Claudet, 6 and 7 Coleman Street, London. 

 E.C. 



On liKsdav, A|)iil 2^. at 10 a.m., Mr. ClifTord Dobell 

 will commence a series of twenty lectures on the 

 structure and life-historv of the Protista (Protozoa and 

 Protophvta) in the zoological department of the Imperial 

 College of Science. The lectures will be given on Tuesdays 

 and Thursdavs at 10 a.m.. and will be followed bv practii^l 

 work on Wednesdav. April 26, at 5 p.m. Prof. L. W . 

 MacBride F.R.S.. will begin a course of sixteen lectures 

 on "Experimental Embrvology." These lectures \yill be 

 given on Wednesdays and Fridays at <; p-m-'" "^•; 

 zoological department of the Imperial College. Practical 

 work in connection with the lectures will be given twic-e a 

 week, at times to be arranged. Both Prof. MacBnde s 

 and Mr. Dobell 's lectures are free to the public. 



I>} The School Review for April a report appears of a 

 lecture by the sup'-rintendent of schools at Munich, Dr. 



