150 



NATURE 



[September 30, 1920 



Council (to be appointed later). Dr. R. A. Farrar 

 and Mr. P. N. R. Butcher will act as joint secretaries 

 to the Committee, and any communications should be 

 addressed to them at the Ministry of Health, White- 

 hall, London, S.W.i. 



Sir Frederick Andrewes, professor of pathology in 

 the University of London, will deliver the Harveian 

 oration of the Royal College of Physicians on Monday, 

 October i8, at 4 p.m. 



Mr. J. D. Fry, lecturer on physics at the University 

 of Bristol, and Mr. \. Hessell Tiltman have been 

 appointed to the scientific staff of the Research Asso- 

 ciation of British Rubber and Tyre Manufacturers. 



The third annual Streatfeild memorial lecture will 

 be delivered by Mr. J. H. Coste at the City and Guilds 

 Technical College, Leonard Street, E.C.2, on Thurs- 

 day, October 14, at 4 p.m. The subject will be " The 

 Gases Dissolved in Water." Admission will be free. 



Science for September 10 announces that it is pro- 

 posed to establish in Panama an international insti- 

 tute for research on tropical diseases as a memorial 

 to the late Major-Gen. W. C. Gorgas. Panama has 

 been chosen in view of the fact that Gen. Gorgas's 

 most noteworthy work was accomplished there. 



We learn from the British Medical Journal that 

 the Hughlings Jackson lecture of the Section of 

 Neurology will be delivered at the Royal Society of 

 Medicine by Dr. H. Head on October 7 at 8.45 p.m. 

 Dr. Head has chosen as his subject "A New Con- 

 ception of Aphasia." 



The British Cutlery Research Association has been 

 approved by the Department of Scientific and Indus- 

 trial Research as complying with the conditions laid 

 down in the Government scheme for the encourage- 

 ment of industrial research. The secretary of this 

 association is Mr. J. M. Denton, P.O. Box 49, 

 Sheffield. 



Certain friends of Mr. W. F. Denning and admirers 

 of his lifelong devotion to "astronomy have contributed 

 a sum of about 300Z. to a fund which has just been 

 established for him. Mr. Denning has been sent 50J. 

 to meet his immediate necessities, and the balance 

 remaining in hand has been paid over to Sir Frank 

 Dyson and Col. E. H. Hills in trust for Mr. Denning, 

 with directions to pay him the sum of 50L annually. 

 Should it be necessary, further subscriptions will be 

 raised in order that a payment of this amount may 

 be secured to Mr. Denning as an annuity for life. 



The Cryptogamic Society of Scotland held its first 

 annual gathering since the war on September 21-23 

 at Perth. Under the leadership of the secretary, the 

 Very Rev. Dr. D. Paul, of Edinburgh, and Mr. Jas. 

 Menzies, of Perth, the society made excursions to 

 Murthly on the first day and to Invermay on the 

 second, where the dominant species found was Tricho- 

 lotna sa^onaceus; here the dog-stink horn, Mutinus 

 caninus, turned up again, having been recorded many 

 years ago, since when it had not been seen ; also in 

 the woods, below a fir-tree, the curator of the Perth 

 Museum, Mr. J. Ritchie, was fortunate in finding 

 NO. 2657, VOL. 106] 



Collybia ludius, Fr., th\s being a new species recorded 

 for Britain. The last day's excursion was to Methven, 

 where the outstanding species numerically were Lac- 

 tareus vellereus and Craterellus cornucopoides. 



The forthcoming general discussion on "The Physics 

 and Chemistry of Colloids and their Bearing on Indus- 

 trial Questions," which is being arranged jointly by 

 the Faraday Society and the Physical Societ\' of 

 London, has been fixed for Monday, October 25, at 

 the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Storey's 

 Gate, London, S.W.i. The discussion will be pre- 

 sided over by Sir W. H.. Bragg, and it will be intro- 

 duced by Prof. The Svedberg, of the University of 

 Upsala, who will give a general survey of the subject 

 before discussion is opened in its various branches. 

 Non-members of the above societies desirous of 

 attending the discussion may obtain tickets of admis- 

 sion from Mr. F. S. Spiers, 10 Essex Street, London, 

 W.C.2. The Faraday Society, the Institution of 

 Mechanical Engineers, the Institute of Metals, and 

 probably also the Iron and Steel Institute contemplate 

 holding early in 192 1 a joint general discussion on 

 "The Failure of Metals under Internal or Prolonged 

 Stress." 



It is announced that the British Antarctic Expedi-' 

 tion, which Mr. John L. Cope has been organising 

 for some time, has left England for its base at Port 

 Stanley, in the Falkland Islands. Other members 

 of the expedition are Capt. Wilkins, Mr. W. T. 

 Bagshawe (geologist), and Mr. M. C. Lester (navi- 

 gator and surveyor). The Times states that from the 

 Falkland Islands the expedition will be taken by a 

 whaling vessel to the Weddell Sea, and there landed 

 on the ice during January. The party hopes to survey 

 hitherto unexplored regions, but no attempt will be 

 made to reach the Pole, the aims of the expedition 

 being purely geographical and biological. At the 

 end of eighteen months or so the party will return 

 to England, by which time a specially built ship and 

 a large aeroplane will be ready for a further expedi- 

 tion, which is expected to be of five years' duration. 



A SM.\LL but interesting exhibition of books, manu- 

 scripts, and relics illustrative of the life and work of 

 Gilbert White was held on September 24-25 at the 

 .\rt Workers' Guildhall, Queen Square, W'.C.i. The 

 exhibition concluded the bicentennial celebration of 

 the birth of the Selborne naturalist organised by the 

 Gilbert White. Fellowship. A fine series of modern 

 water-colours of Selborne and of Ringmer adorned 

 the walls of the hall. L'pon the tables there were laid 

 out for inspection a large number of editions of "The 

 Natural History and .Antiquities of Selborne," together 

 with somewhat rare contemporary works upon sub- 

 jects discussed by Gilbert White. . Microscopy also 

 received attention, while living specimens illustrative 

 of the life of the mosquito aroused considerable 

 interest. In an address delivered by Dr. Gilbert 

 White, Bishop of Willochra, North Australia, and 

 great-grandnephew of Gilbert White, reference was 

 made to the life and work of the naturalist as 

 emphasising the value of a study of Nature — a study 

 which opened out a realm of interest and knowledge 

 untouched by changes in human life and environment. 



