December 8, 192 1] 



NATURE 



477 



larks of various species, including a very large cal- 

 landra lark which may perhaps be new, wagtails, 

 white-headed robins, a chough and cuckoo, rose- 

 finches, bullfinches, and— of fine omen— a blue bird. 

 There are also boxes of birds' eggs, numerous butter- 

 flies and moths, and other insects, including bees and 

 fleas, frogs and fishes, and a few mammals. These 

 are all now at Kew and the Natural History Museum 

 being identified and distributed. The photographic 

 plates, all developed, have arrived without a single 

 breakage, and the number of photographs the society 

 now has is more than six hundred. A selection 

 of the best will be exhibited to the public in the 

 .\lpine Club Gallery- in the middle of Januar}-. 



Dr. Niels Bohr (Copenhagen), Dr. Johan Hjort, 

 head of the Norwegian Fisheries, and Prof. Paul 

 Langevin (Paris) have been elected honorary members 

 of the Royal Institution. 



The American Association for the Advancement of 

 Science will meet in Toronto on December 27-31 in 

 the University buildings. The Royal Astronomical 

 Society of Canada will meet at the same time and 

 assist in the programme of the -\ssociation. 



The Paris correspondent of the Times announces 

 that M. Georges Claude, who has been awarded the 

 Prix le Conte of 50,000 francs (loooL) by the Academy 

 of Sciences for his work in chemistry and physics and 

 the practical application of the results to industry, 

 has requested the .Academy to devote one-half of the 

 amount to the Societe de Secours des .Amis des 

 Sciences and the other half to the research labora- 

 tories of the College de France. 



Prof. Horace Lamb, Sir Ernest Rutherford, Sir 

 Arthur Schuster, and Prof. G. Elliot Smith have been 

 elected honorary' members of the Manchester Literary 

 and Philosophical Society. Dr. H. F. Coward has 

 been elected chairman of the chemical section of the 

 society for the ensuing session. 



A highly successful course of Swiney Lectures on 

 Geology was completed on December 2 bv Dr. J. D. 

 Falconer at the Imperial College of Science, South 

 Kensington. These lectures are delivered annually 

 under the auspices of the trustees of the British 

 Museum, and are designed to stimulate public in- 

 terest in geological science. The average attendance 

 for the twelve lectures was 261, a gratifying record 

 to all concerned. 



The annual general meeting of the Decimal Asso- 

 ciation was held on November 30 at Stationers' Hall. 

 Proposals for the adoption by the association of a step 

 by s'tep policy in dealing with weights and measures 

 were made, and the following resolution was carried : 

 "That this association, while adhering to the policy 

 of adopting the metric system of weights and 

 measures, recognises that its object can best be ob- 

 tained in steps, and that the first step should be the 

 dealing with weights." 



The Jamaica earthquake of January 14, 1907, so 

 destructive to the city of Kingston, was followed by 

 a number of after-shocks, of which nearly a hundred 

 during the succeeding six months were strong enough 

 to be registered in this country. Stronger than any 

 NO. 2719, VOL. 108] 



of these after-shocks, or indeed than any earthquake 

 in the island since 1907, was that which occilrred on 

 November 25 last. The shock was of short duration, 

 but it was strong enough to crack the walls of some 

 buildings. 



Under the presidency of M. Millerand, President 

 of the French Republic, a meeting was held at the 

 Sorbonne, Paris, at 3 p.m. on November 24 to com- 

 memorate the centenary of Ampere's publication of 

 his fundamental laws of electromagnetism. The Pre- 

 sident was supported by the chief Ministers of public 

 Departments, and the Republican Guard under the 

 direction of M. Balay played selections during the 

 proceedings. Addresses were delivered by Prof. 

 Berthelot, Appell, and Janet and by Messrs. Legouez, 

 Boucherot, Mailloux, and Berard. During the fol- 

 lowing morning a reception took place at the Con- 

 servatoire des Arts et Metiers, and the new gallen.' 

 of models of telegraphic and telephonic apparatus was 

 opened. An Ampere medal is being struck as a 

 souvenir of the occasion. 



Since the advent of aviation visibility over the land 

 has advanced from occupying a secondar}- position 

 to one of major importance amongst subjects of 

 meteorological investigation. During the past few 

 years the matter has consequently been engaging the 

 close attention of meteorologists, and much progress has 

 been made in the taking of accurate observations. In 

 order to allow a free exchange of opinions on the sub- 

 ject, the meeting of the Royal Meteorological Society 

 to be held at 5 p.m. on December 14 will be devoted 

 to a discussion on "Visibility." The discussion will 

 be opened by Mr. F. J. W. Whipple, who will give a 

 general introduction, while other speakers will ap- 

 proach the matter more particularly from the points 

 of view of the airman, the seaman, and the physicist. 

 The subject of London fogs will also be introduced. 

 Those desirous of obtaining tickets for the meeting 

 should apply to the .-Assistant Secretary of the Royal 

 Meteorological Society at 49 Cromwell Road, South 

 Kensington. 



At the monthly meeting of the Zoological Society of 

 London held on November 23 twenty new fellows 

 were elected to the society, eighty-seven candidates 

 proposed for election as fellow::, two as foreign 

 members, and eight as corresponding members. The 

 report of the council showed that 509 additions had 

 been made to the society's menagerie during the 

 quarter, including 165 by presentation, 182 by pur- 

 chase, 98 by deposit, 29 in exchange, and 35 born in 

 the gardens. Special mention is made of a collection 

 of mammals, birds, and reptiles from New Guinea 

 and .\ru obtained by Mr. Frost, which included four 

 species of birds-of-paradise and several rare doves and 

 parrots new to the collections. The number of visitors 

 during the quarter showed a decrease of 108,735 

 and the receipts a decrease of 844L as compared with 

 the corresponding period of last year. Two hundred 

 and ninety-eight new fellows have been elected to 

 the society since January i. The society's silver 

 medal was presented to H.E. Capt. C. H. .Armitage, 

 Chief Commissioner of the Northern Territories, 



