760 



NATURE 



[August ii, 192 i 



beautiful photographs of this wild and rugged region 

 are shown in the pamphlet. Other geological field- 

 work was successfully carried on in various States 

 •of the United States by members of the staff. 



In astrophysical research the institution was un- 

 Kjsually active. Through the generosity of Mr. John A. 

 Roebling, of New Jersey, the Smithsonian solar ob- 

 serving station located on the plain near Calama, 

 Chile, was moved to a mountain peak near by, where 

 the observations will be unaffected by dust and smoke ; 

 and a new station was established on the Harqua 

 Hala Mountain, Arizona, probably the most cloudless 

 region in the United States. From daily observations 

 of the radiation of the sun at these two widely 

 separated stations it is hoped to establish definitely the 

 value of "solar constant " observations in forecasting 

 weather. Dr. C. G. .Abbot, director of the work, also 

 describes the successful operation on Mount Wilson, 

 California, of a solar cooker devised by him. With 

 this apparatus it was possible, using on'v the sun's 

 heat, to cook bread, meat, vegetables, and preserves. 



Mr. H. C. Raven represented the Smithsonian 

 Institution on an e.xtensive collecting expedition 

 through yVfrica from south to north. .Although many 

 difficulties were encountered, among others a rail- 

 way wreck in which two members of the expedition 

 were killed, Mr. Raven shipped to the institution much 

 interesting zoological material which was greatlv 

 needed for purposes of comparison in working up the 

 famous Roosevelt and Rainey collections already in 

 the National Museum. Many interesting photographs 

 of the anima's, the natives, and the country itself are 

 shown in this account and in that of Dr. Shantz, who 

 accompanied the expedition as botanical collector. In 

 .Australia a Smithsonian naturalist collected, through 

 the generosity of Dr. W. L. .Abbott, specimens of the 

 fast-disappearing remarkable fauna of that continent, 

 while Dr. Abbott himself secured for the National 

 Museum a great number of plants, birds, and other 

 natural history material in various regions of Haiti. 

 A number of other zoological and botanical expeditions 

 are briefly described and illustrated. 



In anthropology Dr. .Ales Hrdlicka, of the National 

 Museum, conducted extensive investigations in the 

 Far East with the objects of continuing the study of 

 the origin of the American Indian, examining the 

 oldest skeletal remains in Japan, furthering the in- 

 terests of physical and medical anthropologv in China, 

 and studying the rapidly disappearing full-blooded 

 Hawaians. The work was successful in every respect. 



Dr. J. Walter Fewkes continued his archaeological 

 field-work on the Mesa Verde National Park, 

 Colorado. During the field season of 1920 he 

 excavated and repaired a remarkable prehistoric 

 building, which he designates "Fire Temple" on 

 account of the undoubted use of this structure by the 

 Indians in connection with the worship of fire. " The 

 ruin is described and illustrated in the pamphlet. 



The book concludes with numerous accounts of 

 field-work among the American Indians bv members 

 of the staff of the Bureau of American Ethnology, 

 Smithsonian Institution, including researches among 

 the Hopi, the Papago and Pawnee, the Fox and Cree, 

 and others ; and archaeological investigations of pre- 

 historic aboriginal structures and dwellings in various 

 regions of the United States. 



economy in the University of Manchester, sometime 

 professor of political economy at Leeds, and fellow of 

 Trinity College, Cambridge. Prof. Macgregor is 

 known as a writer and lecturer on industrial and 

 philosophical questions, and has also done work in 

 connection with the Board of Trade. 



The Linacre chair of zoology and comparative 

 anatomy, vacant by the regretted retirement of Prof. 

 G. C. Bourne, has been filled by the appointment of 

 Prof. E. S. Goodrich, fellow of Merton College, and 

 hitherto professor of comparative embryology and 

 Aldrichian demonstrator in comparative anatomy at 

 Oxford. Prof. Goodrich enjoys a high reputation 

 among zoologists, and his artistic attainments are also 

 widely recognised. He is president this year of Sec- 

 tion b (Zoology) of the British Association, and the 

 address which he is to deliver at the forthcoming Edin- 

 burgh meeting is awaited by zoologists with keen 

 interest. 



The University has lately bought a large house in 

 Mansfield Road, part of which will furnish the School 

 of Geography with increased accommodation. 



University and Educational Intelligence. 



Oxford. — Two important elections to professorships 

 have been made since the end of term. The vacant 

 Drummond professorship of political economv has been 

 filled by the appointment of Prof. David Hutchison 

 Macgregor, Stanley Jevons professor of political 

 NO. 2702, VOL. 107] 



The Board of Education has at last issued the long- 

 awaited report of the Burnham Committee dealing 

 with scales of salaries for full-time teachers in tech- 

 nical schools, schools of art, evening schools, and 

 day continuation schools, in which the local educa- 

 tion authority accepts responsibility for the salary 

 scales. The report follows in natural sequence upon 

 the reports of the other two Joint Committees, and 

 is correlated especialy with that of the Joint Com- 

 mittee on Secondary Schools. Teachers are graded 

 as (i) principals, headmasters, or headmistresses, 

 (2) heads of departments, (3) graduate assistants, 

 (4) non-graduate assistants, and (5) instructors. _ For 

 the graduate class the scale determined is 240Z., rising 

 to 500L bv annual increments of 15L, and for non- 

 graduates '190L, rising to 400/. by annual increments 

 of 12I. los. The corresponding figures for women 

 are 225^., rising to 400/. by annual increments of 15/., 

 and 177I. I05., rising to 320L by annual increments of 

 12L JOS. For male graduates in the London area the 

 scales are increased by the addition of 50L to both 

 the minimum and the maximum, corresponding addi- 

 tions being made also to the other scales. In order 

 to attract highlv trained teachers to the technical ser- 

 vice, the local education authority may raise the mini- 

 mum bv 25L and the maximum by 50L in the case 

 of a good honours degree or its technological equiva- 

 lent. Further, other additions may be made in 

 respect of post-graduate training and posts of special 

 responsibility. It is possible, therefore, for a graduate 

 teacher to secure a max- mum salary of 65oZ. in London 

 and 600L in the provinces, with the opportunity of 

 promotion to the higher grades. Under such condi- 

 tions a real career is offered in the service to both 

 men and women, and the Committee is to be highly 

 congratulated on the satisfactorv completion of an 

 extremelv difficult problem. The Committee regrets 

 that it has been unable to determine scales for the 

 other grades of teachers owing to the many and 

 various tvpes of schools and the wide divergence of 

 local conditions. Local education authorities are 

 asked, however, to formulate suitable scales by agree- 

 ment, and it is pointed out that these scales should be 

 comparable with those adopted for similar classes of 

 teachers in the secondarv schools of the area. The 

 adoption of the report will influence the desired de- 

 velopment in technical and scientific education, \yhich 

 depends so largelv on the securing to, and retaining 

 in, the service the best tvpe of teacher. It is in this 

 respect" satisfactorv to find that technical and com- 

 mercial qualifications and other experience may be 

 regarded as the equivalent of an academic degree. 



