May 26, 1921] 



NATURE 



409 



each meeting of the latter. Until other arrangements 

 are made for the upkeep of the council each member 

 thereof will contribute the sum of two guineas per 

 annum, and each associate member one guinea. 



Resolutions of the General Council. 



Section A (Astronomy, Mathematics, and Physics). 

 — "That as regards the following committees : Solar 

 Physics, Seismology, Terrestrial Magnetism, Tidal 

 Survey, Physical and Chemical Constants, and Longi- 

 tude — since their methods of working involve inter- 

 national co-operation, these committees should be 

 allowed to lapse, and that the respons:bilit\- for carry- 

 ing on these researches be transferred to "the Australian 

 National Research Council." 



"That the sum of 50/. referred to in the report of 

 the secretary of the Physical and Chemical Constants 

 Committee be approved, and forwarded to Dr. Marie." 

 Macquarie Island Committee (Sir T. W. Edge- 

 worth David, secretary). — The report was adopted, and 

 the names of Sir Baldwin. Spencer, Sir Douglas 

 Mawson, and Capt. J. K. Davis were added to it. 

 The question of re-opening the wireless station at 

 Macquarie Island established there originally by the 

 Australasian Antarctic Expedition under Sir Douglas 

 Mawson with the co-operation of the Commonwealth 

 Meteorological Office has given rise to some diflfer- 

 ence of opinion, and the meteorologists now give pre- 

 cedence to the establishment of stations at Kerguelen 

 or the Island of St. Paul. The question of re-estab- 

 lishing the wireless station on Macquarie Island must 

 therefore be for the present postponed. The question 

 of creating a zoological a^d botanical preserve at 

 Macquarie Island is considered to be worthy of favour- 

 able consideration. 



Committee for the Study of Earth Movements by. 

 Horizontal Pendulums (formerly the Committee for 

 Determination of Gravity in Certain Critical Locali- 

 ties). — A preliminary account of the installation and 

 working of the pendulums at Burrinjuck was read 

 before the Royal Society of New South Wales (Journ. 

 Roy. Soc. N.S.W., 1915). The observations have been 

 systematically carried out by Mr. A. Goodwin since 

 the pendulums were first established. Dr. L. A. 

 Cotton, of the University of Sydney, furnished a 

 report; the examination of the records since the pre- 

 liminarj- account already referred to has served to 

 explain in large measure the movement which was 

 then regarded as being secular in character. It now 

 appears that the movement is chiefly, if not wholly, 

 seasonal in character and a function of the under- 

 ground temperature. It is, of course, essential for 

 this work, as well as for the main investigation, 

 to have a detailed geological and topographical survey 

 of the area. This work was taken up about two 

 years ago, and, though far from completion, has 

 yielded important information with regard to the litho- 

 graphical characters and rock structures of the area 

 under investigation. The general council voted the 

 sum of 105Z., already expended in anticipation, 

 together with 50I. for the future work of this com- 

 mittee. 



The Sam can Observatory at Apia. — ^The observatory 

 was founded by the Germans in 1902, and is described 

 in the New Zealand Journal of Science and Techno, 

 logy (vol. iii., p. 157, 1920) by Dr. C. E. .\dams and 

 Prof. Marsden. It is considered most desirable that 

 it should be maintained at pre-war efficiency, and that 

 the cost of it be contributed to by Great Britain, New 

 Zealand, and Australia. A resolution was passed 

 urging upon the Federal and State Governments the 

 importance of the work of the observatory in Samoa 

 and the desirability of contributing loooZ. per annum 



NO. 2691, VOL. 107] 



as the Australian share of the cost of upkeep of this 

 institution as an Imperial observatory. 



Section C {Geology and Mineralogy). — It was 

 decided to form a committee for the classification and 

 correlation of the Carboniferous and Permian rocks 

 of Australia in the place of a committee bearing the 

 name " Permo-Carboniferous of Australia," and 

 another committee, under the title " For the Investiga- 

 tion of the Structural Features and Land Forms in 

 Australasia," to supersede the two committees on 

 "Structural Features in Australasia" and "Physio- 

 graphic Features of Australasia." The Glacial 

 Phenomena Committee was re-appointed, with Sir 

 Edgeworth David as secretary. The report of the 

 committee was adopted. It consisted chiefly of ob- 

 servations by Mr. Loftus Hills, Government Geologist 

 of Tasmania, on Glacial cirques and moraines in 

 Tasmania, together with " Glacial Notes from New 

 Zealand " by Mr. R. Speight, and brief remarks con- 

 cerning South Australia by Prof. VV. Howchin. 



The Kainozoic and Quaternary Climate of Aus- 

 tralasia Committee was re-appointed, with Mr. R. 

 Speight as secretary. The Alkaline Rocks of Aus- 

 tralasia Committee was also re-appointed, with Prof. 

 E. Skeats and Dr. H. C. Richards as secretaries, and 

 the sum of 50Z. was voted for expenses. 



A report was submitted by Prof. E. Skeats, which em- 

 bodies references to the work of Prof. H. C. Richards 

 in south-eastern Queensland, and recorded by him in 

 the Journ. Roy. Soc. Queensland (vols, xxvii. and 

 XXX.). As regards Tasmania, Prof. Skeats has sup- 

 plied a note on' the age of the alkaline rocks of Port 

 Cygnet, etc. (Proc. Roy. Soc. Vict., vol. xxix.). The 

 same author wrote a note on the Tertiary alkaline 

 rocks of Victoria for the British Association at its 

 Melbourne meeting in 19 14. Since then he has made 

 a number of additional observations which are 

 detailed. 



A committee was appointed to collect information 

 in regard to the occurrence of artesian water in 

 Australia, with Mr. S. A. Ward, Government Geo- 

 logist of South Australia, as secretary. 



Section D (Biology). — It was decided that a resolu- 

 tion be sent to the Premier of South Australia em- 

 phasising the great national and scientific importance 

 of the preservation of native fauna and flora, and 

 congratulating the Government on the legislation re- 

 cently passed constituting Flinder's Chase, on Kan- 

 garoo Island, a national reserve for fauna and flora. 

 Immediate steps should be taken to give full effect to 

 that legislation. The Government is further urged 

 to give full consideration to the unique importance 

 which attaches to the constitution of the whole of 

 Kangaroo Island as a national fauna and flora reserve, 

 as well as to the protection of the land, fresh-water, 

 and sub-aquatic fauna and flora of all the islands in 

 South Australian waters other than Kangaroo Island 

 which are actively used for farming pursuits. 



The Ecology Committee was re-appointed with 

 some additional names (Dr. C. S. Sutton, secretary). 

 It was further resolved that a committee be appointed 

 to collect data and initiate a reasonably detailed eco- 

 logical map of Australia marking out the distribution 

 of the salt-bush and other type-flora. 



It was further resolved, on the motion of Sir 

 Baldwin Spencer, that in order to carry out im- 

 mediately a co-ordinated investigation into the land 

 and fresh-water fauna and the flora of Australia 

 and Tasmania the societies and institutions in 

 the various States be requested to co-operate in the 

 work, and to take such steps as they may deem 

 advisable for carrying put this work, especially 

 in securing in each State the active assistance of 



